The Way We Were
by TaintedLove
Summary: Eli/Grace story> takes place back in season 1. Chapter 34 is up. It is the last chapter of the serie's Season One. Season Two will be coming eventually.
1. Friend or Foe

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Welcome!! Okay, this time the fanfic is purely Eli/Grace.. no Mr. Dimitri in this one. And this one takes place way back in the beginning. Lifetime Real Women has started replaying season one, so that's where I got my inspiration. This story starts off after "The Scarlet Letter Jacket".. Eli is dating Jennifer, Rick and Lily are in the beginning of their relationship, and oh, yes, Grace has a secret crush on Eli. It won't really follow what happened in the show, but I might steal ideas from the show.. OH, and anything in [[ these]] means it is the black and white interviews.. anyways, Thanks for reading!  
  
Chapter 1//Friend or Foe  
  
Grace turned to her friend Julie and their eyes caught. Grace turned her head to the side and Julie saw the reason Grace had looked so upset. Eli Sammler and his girlfriend, Jennifer, were seriously making out in the school's hallway. Grace waited till they had walked past the embracing couple and then said softly, "Did I tell you what Lisa said to me?"  
  
Julie's eyebrows shot up, interested.  
  
Grace looked around them, but no one was paying the two freshman girls any attention, "She said that Eli was only being nice to me because our parents are, like, dating."  
  
Julie nodded, "Well, yeah, Grace."  
  
Grace groaned at her rude friend. "That's not true!"  
  
[[Grace - I guess Julie is my best friend..]]  
  
"Why else would a junior, like Eli Sammler pay attention to one of us?" Julie said.  
  
Grace shrugged, all too aware of the many people around. She lowered her voice even more. "Well, maybe in the beginning he talked to me because of.. our parents, but I, I mean, he's nice, and, he was nice to me.."  
  
"Maybe his dad asked him to be nice to you?" Julie questioned.  
  
Grace stopped walking at looked at her friend. "You think?"  
  
"Well, yeah, Grace."  
  
[[ Grace - Sometimes I wonder why I even have friends, if all they do is.. not support me.]]  
  
Grace nodded to herself and they continued walking. Grace glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Eli and Jennifer, still lip-locked. She sighed. "You know what else Lisa said to me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Grace crossed her arms over her chest, remembering the cruel words Jennifer's friend, Lisa, had said to her at the carnival. "That Eli thought my butt was alright, but that my legs were too fat and that I didn't have enough chest."  
  
Julie giggled. Grace turned to her, with daggers in her eyes. Julie quieted down, and looked thoughtful. "At least he likes your butt."  
  
Grace smiled slightly, and then shook her head. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. He's only being nice to me because of our parents anyways."  
  
[[Grace - But if I didn't have friends, then who would I talk to? Who would talk to me?]]  
  
* * *  
  
"How's your son, Eli?" Lily asked as she joined Rick on the bed.  
  
"He's fine, I think.. why?"  
  
"You never talk about your kids. And from what I heard from Grace, Eli is quite popular at school. Good at basketball, right?"  
  
"Yeah, he is."  
  
"Does he have a girlfriend?" Lily asked.  
  
"Are you thinking of dating my son or something?" Rick joked. Lily laughed softly and swatted his arm. "Yeah, he's dating this girl, Jennifer."  
  
"Oh," Lily said in surprise, "Oh."  
  
[[Lily - Poor Grace.]]  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's just that.. Grace kind of told me she has a crush on Eli." Lily admitted.  
  
"Your daughter has a crush on my son?" Rick asked, amused.  
  
"Yeah, oh God. Don't tell anyone I said that. Grace would just kill me." Lily sighed. "I just think it's cute is all. Eventually she'll get over her crush, because he's dating this.."  
  
"Jennifer," Rick supplied.  
  
"Jennifer! Yeah, so eventually Grace will get over this crush, but for right now, I think it's really cute." Lily smiled down at Rick.  
  
"Right now, I think you're really cute," Rick said softly. He reached for her.  
  
Lily rolled over on top of him and that ended their conversation.  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you like the red shirt or the pink one better?" Julie asked Grace and Grace managed not to roll her eyes. Julie was her best friend after all.  
  
"I like the red one." Grace answered, her eyes glancing around the store and out into the mall.  
  
"Me too." Julie put the pink shirt back on the rack and held the red one up to her. "But do you think I should buy it?"  
  
"Yes!" Grace said impatiently.  
  
[[Grace - Friends should understand each other. And, like, be there for each other.]]  
  
Julie looked at her friend in annoyance and hung the red shirt back on the rack, "I don't have the money for it, but maybe I can get my mom to buy it for me."  
  
Grace realized in irritation that Julie had been dragging her shopping when she didn't even have any money to make the purchases. All this time they could have been in the food court, where members of the basketball team tended to hang out. "Are we going to eat, then?"  
  
Julie shrugged, "I don't really have any money. We could just call my mom to come pick us up."  
  
"No!" Grace cried. "Come on, I'll pay for the food. Let's just go to the food court."  
  
Julie smiled knowingly, "Are you hoping to see him there?"  
  
Grace shook her head, "No.. I'm just hungry."  
  
"Uh huh," Julie said, not believing her, and the two made their way to the food court.  
  
They got two sodas and two cookies. Grace pulled on Julie's arm, stopping her before they found a table. "He's here!"  
  
Julie shrugged. "I thought you didn't care," She said smugly.  
  
Grace took in the sight of Eli wearing his letter jacket and jeans. He was with a group of guys.. Jennifer wasn't there. He was always surrounded by lots of friends.  
  
[[Grace - Guys seem they have it easier when it comes to friendship. They don't have the same problems girls have.]]  
  
"Let's go sit over there," Grace motioned and Julie reluctantly followed her. Grace took a seat at the table a few tables down from Eli and his gang.  
  
They sat in silence, Grace carefully glancing at Eli's table. Julie looked at her watch finally and said, "We should call my mom."  
  
"Julie.." Grace complained.  
  
Julie sighed, "Well, I'm sick of sitting here, watching you drool over a guy you can't have!"  
  
Grace checked to make sure Eli's table hadn't heard Julie's outburst. They were still talking and joking, oblivious to Grace and Julie. Grace knew it was useless. Julie was right, Eli was off limits to her, so why did she even bother? "Alright, let's go, then."  
  
[[Grace - Girls always seem to be in competition, even with their own friends. Like, is it right to secretly hate your best friend? Guys don't have to deal with stuff like that. They have it so easy.]]  
  
Grace stood up and they walked past Eli's table as they headed for the trashcans. The two girls stopped in surprise as the group of guys called out to them.  
  
"Are you girls from Upton Sinclair?" One of the boys, who Grace believed was named Kevin, asked.  
  
"Yeah," Julie said, her voice becoming light and bubbly, "I can tell by your jackets, that you guys are too."  
  
Kevin looked at the rest of the guys sharing a smile with them, including Eli, who looked slightly uncomfortable. "Are you freshman?"  
  
"Yeah." Julie said. Grace looked uneasily at the empty cup she carried and then snuck a glance up at Eli. Eli was looking back at her, and Grace quickly looked away.  
  
"Come on, we should get going to the party," Eli said, standing up.  
  
"Wait," A guy Grace thought was named Travis pulled Eli back down. "We should see if these girls want to come to the party."  
  
"Yeah, I like to party," Julie said quickly, grinning at the cute older boys.  
  
[[Grace - Sometimes I don't even recognize my friends. Cause what I see, I don't like, you know..]]  
  
Grace tried to push Julie towards the trashcans, but she wouldn't budge.  
  
"What about your silent friend, there, does she like to party?" Kevin asked, eyeing Grace.  
  
Grace opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted when Eli spoke up again. "Look, I'm really going guys, you can either come get a ride with me, or you can walk."  
  
Travis and Kevin groaned and the fourth guy, who Grace couldn't place, nodded. "Let's go guys. They're just frosh, anyways."  
  
Julie frowned at being called a 'Frosh'. She crossed her arms angrily and she and Grace watched as the guys left. Eli turned around as they were about to exit the food court and he and Grace exchanged a single look.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Grace!" Julie complained. "We almost got invited to a cool party!"  
  
[[Grace - You look at this girl whose supposed to be, like, you're best friend and you wonder why you even bother. Maybe life would be better without friends..]]  
  
Grace shrugged, "Let's just go."  
  
Julie made an annoyed little groan, and they headed towards the payphones.  
  
* * * 


	2. That Three Lettered Word

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, thanks if you read chapter one and decided to continue on..  
  
Chapter 2//That Three-lettered Word  
  
"Mom! I put my purple and yellow shirt in the wash, like, last week!" Grace called to her mother, who was in the living room sorting laundry.  
  
"Maybe the washer and dryer monsters ate it." Zoe piped up.  
  
Grace threw her sister a look and went into the living room. "Did you find it?"  
  
Lily held up the shirt Grace had been looking for. It was a bit wrinkled, but nothing major. Grace grasped it thankfully. Her mother also held up a black thong. "Yours?"  
  
Grace grabbed the underwear from her mother.  
  
"Grace, when did you get underwear like that?" Lily asked, surprised.  
  
"Julie and I were shopping last week," Grace explained and caught her mother's look. "Mom! It's just a thong! All the girls in high school wear them."  
  
"Really?" Her mother asked in surprise.  
  
[[Lily - Things have changed since I've been in high school. It seems now, that everything is more sexual. Children today have grown up way too fast.]]  
  
[[Grace - My mother just doesn't understand what high school is like anymore.]]  
  
"It's no big deal," Grace said, and took her shirt and underwear and headed upstairs to change.  
  
Lily watched her go.  
  
* * *  
  
Eli met up with Jennifer at her locker. "Hey," He greeted her, giving her a quick kiss.  
  
Jennifer's lips lingered against his and Eli felt the familiar need to be close to her. He gave into temptation and kissed his girlfriend again, longer.  
  
"Go for the gold, Sammler!" Someone called out and Eli and Jennifer reluctantly pulled apart.  
  
[[Eli - She just so cute. I can't resist her cuteness.]]  
  
"Were we still going to go out tonight?" Jennifer asked.  
  
"Yeah, of course. My dad is going out tonight, and I've already made sure he won't come home early and interrupt us this time." Eli told her, and then wondered if he had said too much.. if he expected too much. "Does that sound good?"  
  
"Yeah," Jennifer agreed and Eli found himself kissing her again.  
  
"Good."  
  
* * *  
  
"Guess who asked me out?" Julie announced as she joined Grace, Sarah and Ashley at their usual lunch table.  
  
"Who?" Ashley asked eagerly. She always loved gossip.  
  
Grace found herself looking past Julie to the jock table, where Eli and Jennifer looked pretty close.  
  
"Kevin." Julie said with a wide smile.  
  
"THE Kevin?" Sarah asked in shock. Now they all were looking at the jock table, where Kevin sat.  
  
Julie nodded, "Grace and I ran into him and some other guys at the mall last night. He invited us to a party."  
  
"Not really," Grace argued.  
  
Julie ignored her and continued, "Well I ran into him today and he asked me out!"  
  
"Wow!" Sarah and Ashley said together. Grace sighed and looked away.  
  
[[Grace - Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with ME? I feel like I'm so inexperienced compared to other girls my age. They have, like, gone on dates and have had sex, and me.. *harsh laughter*]]  
  
"I'm going to a party with him tonight. I'm sure it would be alright if you guys came too." Julie said generously. Ashley and Sarah glowed with excitement. Grace barely nodded.  
  
"Oh! It would be soooo much fun!" Ashley squealed.  
  
* * *  
  
Eli led Jennifer into his bedroom at his dad's apartment. Jennifer nervously watched as he closed and locked the door behind him. Eli knew she was thinking of the last time they had been alone, and they had been very close to having sex when they had heard his dad come in and Jennifer had been so embarrassed. But that wouldn't happen tonight.  
  
[[Eli - I'm ready for sex. I think I've been ready for a long time.]]  
  
"My dad won't be home for a long while. He's out on a date."  
  
Jennifer nodded, sitting on Eli's bed. "Is he out with Grace Manning's mother again?"  
  
"I think so," Eli answered.  
  
Jennifer eyes were guarded as she asked, "What do you think of Grace Manning?"  
  
Eli answered carefully, "She's nice.. for a freshman."  
  
Jennifer looked intently at him, "You'd tell me if there was something going on between you two?"  
  
"Are you still upset because of the rumor that Grace's parents walked in on me and her having sex? Because you know that was totally not true."  
  
[[Eli - Me and Grace having sex? Who would ever believe a rumor like that?]]  
  
"I know that, Eli, but Lisa said.." Jennifer started.  
  
"You know Lisa is nothing but a liar and a gossip," Eli interrupted her.  
  
Jennifer nodded, "I just need to know that you would tell me.. if you ever got involved with someone else."  
  
Eli pulled her into a hug, "Don't worry, because that's not going to happen."  
  
Eli bent down and kissed her. They ended up falling back on the bed. "Are you ready?" Eli asked.  
  
[[Eli - SEX.. I just want to do it, you know? And I love Jennifer, I do.]]  
  
Jennifer nodded, her face fearful. Eli kissed her, trying to ease her fears. The kiss went on longer and longer and Eli found himself taking off his clothes and hers.  
  
[[Eli - Sex.. *shy laugh*.. yeah..]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace, is that you?" Lily called out as her daughter came in the house.  
  
"Yeah, it's me." Grace said grumpily.  
  
Lily walked into the kitchen, where Grace was pouring herself a glass of orange juice and waited. "How was the party?" Lily asked finally.  
  
"Stupid."  
  
"Oh, why was it stupid?" Lily asked in surprise.  
  
"All everyone one was doing was making out and having sex in the bedrooms." Grace grimaced. "I shouldn't have gone. Nobody even talked to me."  
  
Lily gaped at Grace's words.  
  
"Don't look so shocked, mom, it's nothing new."  
  
[[Lily - Kids today just don't understand the importance of sex. They think, it's like a new game they can play or something. They just don't think of the problems that come along with having sex. I'm just glad that Grace..]]  
  
"Don't worry, because I'm never going to have sex!" Grace cried.  
  
[[Lily - ..will never have sex.]]  
  
"Oh, honey, oh course you will. It's something that you will share with the right guy, Grace. It's not something you share with just anyone." Lily said.  
  
"Julie had sex with Kevin," Grace said.  
  
[[Grace - My mother doesn't understand that kids today are having sex! And if you don't have sex, then you're a loser in the other kid's eyes.]]  
  
"Really?" Lily asked in surprise. She had met Grace's friend Julie before and had thought the girl was a nice girl. "Well.. I'm sure she'll regret it."  
  
Grace shook her head angrily, "No she won't! Because she's going to be cool and popular because she slept with a cool junior. Everyone who's popular is having sex!"  
  
"Grace, that's probably not true. You know how rumors start. Besides, even if they are having sex, then that doesn't mean you have to." Lily said gently.  
  
Grace sighed, and placed her empty glass in the sink. "Sure, mom, whatever." She turned and left the room.  
  
[[Lily - Grace, wanting to have sex? My Gracie? I don't think I can deal with that..]]  
  
[[Grace - I don't think I'll ever have sex, or even be kissed. I'm just not attractive. I've accepted that.. *sad smile*]]  
  
[[Lily - I want to protect her from all the bad things in life. How can I protect her from this?]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Stop."  
  
Eli pulled away from Jennifer, "What is it?"  
  
Jennifer sat up and reached for her shirt, "I don't want to do this."  
  
"What? Why?" Eli asked in confusion.  
  
"I just can't! I'm not ready for it!" Jennifer said, pulling on her shirt and pulling down her skirt.  
  
"Is it something I did?" Eli asked, puzzled.  
  
[[Eli - Why is she doing this to me?]]  
  
"No! Eli, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Jennifer's big brown eyes looked pleadingly up at him. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Yeah, uh, okay." Eli watched his girlfriend leave in frustration.  
  
[[Eli - I'm, like, the only guy on the team who hasn't had sex! Of course, everybody already thinks I have, but.. I just want.. God, it's only SEX! What's wrong with her?]]  
  
* * * 


	3. Everybody Always says I'm Sorry

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hallelujah! LOL... thanks if you've read this far!  
  
Chapter 3//Everybody Always says I'm Sorry  
  
"Jake! Where are you?" Lily cried into the phone. "You're supposed to be HERE, NOW!"  
  
Jake's voice came to her through light static, "I'm sorry."  
  
[[Lily - He's always sorry.]]  
  
Lily waited for him to explain himself.  
  
"I got hung up on other stuff. I don't think I'll make it."  
  
Lily turned around, making sure neither of her daughters was nearby. "Jake, I have plans for tonight; you can't do this to me! You promised you'd take the girls."  
  
"I know, I know.. and I would if I could, really, Lil."  
  
Lily sighed into the phone, "I'm sick of your empty promises, Jake."  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight, okay?!"  
  
Lily pulled the phone away and shook her head at it in frustration and then replaced it by her mouth, "Oh, yeah, what's her name tonight?"  
  
Silence from Jake's end and Lily knew she had her soon-to-be ex- husband. He was canceling on her because of some floozy he had picked up. Lily had had enough of this from him during their marriage, but now he was letting it affect their children. He was letting down his daughters because of his need for a good time. "Lil.." Jake's voice said softly.  
  
[[Lily - I know divorcing Jake is the right thing to do. But, even now, that we're separated, and I know that he's let me down in the past, and I know he'll let me down in the future.. even though I've come to expect that from him, it's still hard. I'm sick of it, and his excuses, and his apologies. I just want to NOT be disappointed by him for once.]]  
  
"Bye, Jake." Lily hung up the phone. She waited a moment, forcing a cheery smile on her face. "Guess what girls!" She entered the living room where her daughters were watching TV.  
  
"What?" Zoe asked excitedly. Grace didn't even turn her head from the screen.  
  
"Your dad isn't coming tonight, so you get to come with me." Lily told them. Grace turned and Lily was upset by the sad, but knowing look on Grace's face. Lily saw with disdain that Grace was becoming used to being disappointed by her father.  
  
"To the bookstore?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Uh, no, actually I was going to go to the movies."  
  
"You were going to go to the movies by yourself?" Grace asked, knowing the answer already.  
  
"No, I was going to go with.. with Rick, but that got canceled." Lily told them.  
  
"Oooo.. what movie are we going to?" Zoe asked, jumping off of the sofa.  
  
"I don't know.. Grace, why don't you go pick one from the newspaper." Lily waited until her daughters had gone in the kitchen to search through the newspaper and then walked up the stairs with the phone. She dialed Rick's number by heart.  
  
"Hello?" Rick greeted her on the second ring.  
  
"Hi." Lily said nervously.  
  
[[Lily - As much as I hate to hear 'I'm sorry', because I know when someone says it, it only means that they are going to be disappointing me.. I hate to say it even more, because then I know that I'm the one who's failing THEM.]]  
  
"I'm sorry, Rick. Jake canceled on me, and I promised Grace I wouldn't make her baby-sit Zoe more than once a week.. so, I can't go to the movies tonight with you."  
  
"Oh, well, another night, then," Rick said.  
  
Lily felt even worse when she heard how nice he was taking it. "I'm sorry. Yeah, we'll get together again soon, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
[[Lily - It hurts to have disappointed someone..*sigh*.. because it's a role I know all too well.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Jen!"  
  
Jennifer turned as she heard Eli, but didn't slow down. Eli picked up his pace and caught up to his girlfriend in the hallway. The bell was about to ring for first classes, but Eli had to talk to her. After what happened the other night Jen had been avoiding him.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Eli asked as Jennifer looked at him. Eli guided her out of the middle of the hallway and they leaned against the lockers. "Why are you avoiding me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Eli." Jen looked uncomfortably around them. "I've just been.. thinking."  
  
"Is this about what happened, because I'm sorry." Eli said.  
  
[[Eli - I've never been good at apologies. I think it's because I feel like I HAVE to say 'I'm sorry', even if I don't mean it. Girls expect you to apologize.. so, I do.]]  
  
"We can't talk about THAT, here," Jen said uneasily. "Let's go somewhere after school.. I have my mom's car."  
  
"Alright," Eli said, happy that the air had been cleared between them. He leaned in to kiss Jen, but she pulled back. Maybe things weren't so clear after all. Eli looked at her in confusion. "I'm sorry."  
  
[[Eli - There I go, again.. I don't understand what I should be sorry for, but I just feel like I have to say it.]]  
  
"We'll talk, later, okay?" Jen whispered. Eli watched her go.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, are she and Kevin going out now?" Ashley asked Grace at lunch that day. They were looking over at the jock table, where Julie was sitting today with Kevin.  
  
"Well, they're having sex.." Grace replied, distracted by the site of Eli sitting at the jock table without Jennifer.  
  
"So, that doesn't mean anything! We all know Julie's a little slutty!" Sarah said, and grimaced. "I mean, what about that guy, Derek, who she slept with while on vacation in Florida.. she didn't even know him!"  
  
Grace just shrugged, she didn't feel like playing the game of rag on the friend who's not here.. they played that game too many times.  
  
"I'm going to go," Grace said, standing up. The other two girls looked at her questioningly. "I've got to go to my locker," Grace explained, but really she just wanted to get out of that atmosphere. She had been realizing lately how rude and petty her friends were. How they always talked crap about each other behind each other's backs. Grace had grown sick of it.  
  
Grace walked away from the table, and left the lunch room, not caring that now her two close friends were most likely talking trash about HER. She walked down the hall and to her locker, pulling it open, but just standing in front of it, without having anything to do.  
  
She heard sounds coming down the hall and began pulling books of the shelf, pretending to look busy.  
  
"I'll see you later, man, okay!" A male voice called.  
  
"Alright!" Another voice called.. a more familiar voice. Grace began slowly putting the books away, very aware of the sound of Eli coming down the hall. She heard him walk past her, and breathed a sigh of relief, but then his feet stopped and she heard him moving back in her direction.  
  
"Grace?"  
  
Grace dropped the final books back on her shelf, swung the locker closed and faced Eli. "Oh, hi."  
  
Eli grinned an easy smile and Grace found herself smiling back.  
  
"I'm sorry about the carnival," Eli said, "I didn't mean to desert you like that."  
  
[[Eli - does that count as another 'Sorry'? It didn't seem like a 'sorry'.. it felt honest.]]  
  
Grace shrugged, "I kind of ending up leaving the booth myself.."  
  
"So, I heard. Our empty booth was the most popular.. free popcorn for everyone!" Eli joked.  
  
Grace laughed, "Yeah, well, we made enough of it."  
  
Eli laughed too, and they both quieted at the same instant. They looked at each other, carefully.  
  
"It was fun, working on the signs, and at the booth.." Eli said finally.  
  
Grace nodded in agreement. She couldn't believe she was having a conversation with Eli right here, right now.  
  
The bell rang, ending the lunch period. "I should go," They both said at the same time. They smiled.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Eli scratched his forehead lightly with his hand and looked back up at her, "I'll see you around."  
  
"Yeah.. bye." Grace watched him go, in ecstasy.  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm sorry, Eli.. I just don't feel right about us, anymore," Jennifer said after school that day as they sat in her mother's car, parked just across the street from Eli's house.  
  
[[Eli - She's sorry? Is she really sorry.. or does she only feel the need to say 'sorry'?]]  
  
"So, it's over?" Eli asked.  
  
"Yeah," Jen said nervously, waiting for him to get angry at her.  
  
"Is this because I wanted to have sex with you?" Eli asked, not angry yet, no, just disappointed.  
  
"No, no.. I'm just not ready for this, for us, Eli." Jennifer turned her small pixie face away from him, and said quietly, "I just don't think I love you."  
  
Eli was surprised at that. "But you said.."  
  
Jen turned back, her eyes filled with tears, "I know! I just.. you told me you loved me, and I felt like I HAD to say it back, you know? I thought I might mean it, but now I don't think that's true.."  
  
"Alright." Eli said unhappily.  
  
"What?" Jen asked, confused.  
  
"Alright, we're over. That's what you want, so we're done.."  
  
Jennifer astonished him even more by breaking down into sobs, "Don't you even care about me?"  
  
"What the hell, Jen? You're the one breaking up with me!" Eli said, frustrated, beginning to get angry.  
  
"But, you don't even care! You're supposed to care!" Jen said between her tears. She dried her face and hit the unlock button on the car doors. "Just go!"  
  
Eli opened the door, and began to make his escape, but once again felt the need to say the words, "I'm sorry."  
  
"No, you're not." Jennifer said calmly, and surely. Eli got out of the car and shut the door and watched his ex-girlfriend drive away.  
  
[[Eli - She's right.. I wasn't sorry..]]  
  
* * * 


	4. How to Feel

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 4//How to Feel  
  
"You broke up with Jennifer?" Kevin asked Eli in shock.  
  
Eli shrugged, looking around the crowded hallway. "She kind of broke up with me."  
  
"What? Why?" Kevin asked.  
  
"I don't know. Girls are crazy." Eli said bitterly.  
  
"You got that right." Kevin agreed, and then spotted his newest girlfriend, Julie and took off down the hall towards her. Eli watched him and shook his head.  
  
[[Eli - I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this.]]  
  
Eli continued down the hall and stopped as he spotted Jennifer further down. He stood and looked at her for a few brief moments. Jennifer was talking to Lisa and as Eli watched her, Jen turned her head towards him and their eyes caught.  
  
[[Eli - I really liked Jen.. I loved Jen.]]  
  
Jen turned her head away and she and Lisa walked hurriedly down the hall, away from Eli. Eli sighed, shook his head again and continued walking.  
  
[[Eli - But I don't think I regret that we're over. I'm glad about it.. is that weird?]]  
  
Eli stopped at his locker and quickly spun the combination. He opened it and took out his math book and closed it harder than he intended to, causing it to slam shut. He turned and was surprised by Grace's face.  
  
"Hi," Grace said uneasily.  
  
"Hi," Eli looked at her and then away. And then back at her.  
  
Grace struggled to come up with something to say. "I heard that Jennifer's in Mock Trial. Are you doing that too?"  
  
"Uh, no. Actually.." Eli looked at her, studying her. "Well, you'll probably hear it from someone else today, anyway.. Jen and I broke up."  
  
"Oh." Grace said with surprise.  
  
[[Grace - I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that, cuz I like.. wished for it to happen. I wanted them to break up, and now they did. But how can I be so happy about it when I feel so guilty?]]  
  
"So, are you doing Mock Trial?" Eli asked.  
  
"No, no." Grace said. "Not me."  
  
"Well, I have to get to class."  
  
"Okay." Grace watched him go, and finally allowed herself a big smile.  
  
* * *  
  
"Judy, this is Rick," Lily introduced them. "Rick, this is my sister, Judy." Lily waited as Judy and Rick silently appraised each other.  
  
"Hi Judy. Lily has told me so much about you." Rick said, uncomfortable with the whole formalness of their introduction.  
  
Judy looked Rick over once again and began sorting a pile of books. "Same here."  
  
Lily frowned slightly and pulled Rick away and showed him around the bookstore. When they had made the small trip, Lily brought him back over to the front, where Judy was sitting, putting books away.  
  
"So, Lily told me you're thinking of putting a coffee bar in here." Rick said after a little nudge from Lily.  
  
Judy looked up at them and stands up.  
  
[[Judy - Am I supposed to like him right away? Am I just supposed to accept him because he's my sister's new boyfriend? I don't know how I feel about Lily dating again..]]  
  
"Yeah, well, maybe." Judy gave them a forced smile, and once again looked intently at Rick. "So, you have kids?"  
  
"Yes, two. Eli and Jessie."  
  
"Does your ex-wife have custody - or do you share?" Judy asked.  
  
"We share." Rick gave Lily a small, questioning glance, but Lily pretended not to see it, and let Judy's questions continue.  
  
"How long have you and your wife been divorced?"  
  
"About three years," Rick answered.  
  
"Hmm." Judy turned back to the books and this time Rick made sure Lily didn't ignore the look he shot her.  
  
"Well, we're going," Lily said to her sister.  
  
"Alright, I see you around, Rick," Judy said, her tone making it sound like she doubted she would.  
  
"Bye." Rick and Lily left.  
  
As soon as they were outside, Rick turned to Lily, "She hates me."  
  
"No, no.. she just wants to make sure you're the right for me," Lily said.  
  
Rick raised his eyebrows slightly, "Am I?"  
  
"Yes," Lily leaned into him and they shared a kiss on the sidewalk in front of the store. They didn't notice Judy watching them through the window.  
  
[[Judy - I never liked Jake, not really. I pretended I did, but still.. it was like having someone steal my sister away from me. After she met Jake, he was all she could talk about.. I hated it. Rick.. Rick could be another Jake, and that's what I'm scared about. I don't want to lose her to this guy.]]  
  
Lily and Rick continued down the sidewalk and Judy went back to her books.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi. Is Julie there?" Grace asked into the phone that night.  
  
Julie mom replied, "Oh, sure, hold on."  
  
After a pause, Julie came on, "Kevin?"  
  
"No, it's me, Grace." Grace said with annoyance.  
  
"Oh," A pause, "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing, I just felt like talking." Grace said.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Julie! We never usually have a reason for talking. We just.. talk."  
  
"I know, Grace, and I would talk to you, but I'm expecting Kevin to call me. So, unless you had something important to talk to me about, I think I should keep the line open." Julie explained.  
  
Grace frowned at the phone. "No, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow, at school."  
  
"Okay, bye, Grace."  
  
"Bye." Grace hung up the phone and looked at in anger.  
  
[[Grace - I'm losing my best friend to a guy. But, she was never a really good friend to begin with, I guess. I don't know.. it still hurts.]]  
  
Grace went in the kitchen to hang the phone back up on the charger. Her mother was preparing dinner.  
  
"Oh, Grace, can you set the table?" Lily asked as she saw her.  
  
Grace reluctantly set the table for three. She walked back and leaned against the island counter and watched her mother cook. "Mom?"  
  
"Yeah, sweetie?"  
  
"What do you do when your best friend suddenly isn't your best friend anymore?"  
  
Lily turned to her daughter, "What do you mean? Did you and Julie have a fight?"  
  
"No, but she has a boyfriend, now. And that's all she cares about now." Grace explained.  
  
Lily turned off the burners and transferred the food onto plates.  
  
[[Lily - Is that how Judy feels?]]  
  
"Have you tried to talk to her about this?" Lily asked.  
  
Grace sighed. "No.. just forget it, you don't understand."  
  
[[Lily - Does Judy think that Rick is all I care about now? Does she think she's losing me to him?]]  
  
"Grace--"  
  
"No, I don't want to talk about it." Grace carried the plates over to the table and called for Zoe. "Zoe, Dinner!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Lily!" Judy opened her apartment door to her sister. "Hi." Judy looked past Lily, "Is he here?"  
  
"No." Lily smiled, and pushed past her, letting herself in the apartment. "It's just me."  
  
Judy closed the door behind her sister and waited. "Why are you here?"  
  
"Do I need a reason to come visit you?" Lily asked.  
  
"No, but I feel like you do have a reason.." Judy looked searchingly at Lily, "This is about him, isn't it?"  
  
"Rick. Yeah, it's about Rick."  
  
Judy sighed, "I knew it."  
  
[[Judy - It's starting already.. he's all she cares about..]]  
  
[[Lily - How can I get Judy to see he's not all I care about? And how can I get her to accept him?]]  
  
"You don't like him, do you?" Lily asked.  
  
Judy searched for the right answer, "I don't know him."  
  
"But I know him, and I like him, isn't that enough?" Lily asked pleadingly. "Can't you like him, because I like him?"  
  
Judy shook her head, "I don't think it works like that."  
  
"Judy, I want you to like him. I need you to like him. What you feel about him matters to me."  
  
"It does?" Judy asked softly.  
  
"Yes, you're my sister.. my best friend. I need you to accept him." Lily said.  
  
Judy walked away from her sister, and then stopped and turned around. "Okay."  
  
"Okay?" Lily turned and faced her, her voice hopeful.  
  
"I accept that you're dating him. I'm just not sure if I like him." Judy paused and fought to get the next words out, "I don't want to lose you to him."  
  
"Oh, Judy," Lily said and they hugged. "You won't!"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
[[Judy - Okay, maybe I was wrong.. maybe everything is going to be alright. I still don't know how I feel about.. *long pause* Rick.]]  
  
"Yes."  
  
* * * 


	5. The Joys of Parenthood

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews! And, now on to the show..  
  
Chapter 5//The Joys of Parenthood.  
  
"No!" Lily grabbed the phone out of Grace's hand before she could dial, "Go get your backpack! We're leaving!"  
  
Grace looked at her mother with annoyance, and left the room to get her backpack.  
  
Zoe came in and held up a black shoe. "Have you seen the other one, mom?"  
  
"No." Lily sighed "Just wear a different pair of shoes. We're going to be late!"  
  
"But I like these shoes.." Zoe trailed off as she left the kitchen.  
  
[[Lily - Sometimes it's so hard.. being a parent.]]  
  
"I'm ready!" Grace called as she entered the kitchen.  
  
Lily called up the stairs for Zoe and her daughter came running down them. "Your backpack!" Lily reminded her and Zoe ran back up to her room.  
  
[[Lily - I just feel like screaming.. It's all just too much sometimes.]]  
  
Zoe came back down with her backpack and they made it out the door.  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you want pancakes?" Rick asked Jessie and Eli.  
  
"We're going to be late, dad." Eli reminded him.  
  
Rick served the pancakes onto their plates anyways, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Aren't pancakes worth being late?"  
  
Jessie giggled and nodding, digging into her pancakes. Eli just shrugged and ate his.  
  
[[Rick - I love being a 'Dad'. I love looking at these kids and knowing that I did that.. I made them.]]  
  
The kids finished eating and the three of them headed out the door.  
  
"Are you coming to the game tonight?" Eli asked.  
  
"Of course." Rick answered, as they got into the car. He started up the car.  
  
"Can I come, too?" Jessie asked.  
  
Eli leaned forward from the back seat and pulled his sister's hair lightly, "Why would you want to come to my game?"  
  
"I don't know. It might be fun." Jessie swatted his hand away.  
  
Rick glanced at the two of them with a smile.  
  
[[Rick - Knowing that these two are here because of me.. that I had some part behind making them who they are, that's just amazing.]]  
  
* * *  
  
Lily pulled up to the curb in front of the high school and Grace got out. Lily watched her go and let out a deep breath.  
  
[[Lily - Some mornings, I just want to stay in bed. I don't want to deal with.. them. Isn't that horrible?]]  
  
Lily watched as Grace joined a group of friends, and was startled by the beep of a friendly horn. She looked forward and saw Rick turned around in the drivers seat of his car, parked in front of hers. They shared a smile. Lily gave him a little wave and he waved back. Lily pointed at her watch, indicating that she had to go and he nodded and pointed at his own watch. They shared a final look and drove off in different directions.  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace?"  
  
"Grace?" Julie called when Grace didn't answer her.  
  
Grace turned in the hall and looked at her friend.  
  
Julie walked towards her and Grace noticed that Julie was sad. She was still angry at Julie for blowing her off the past week, but she couldn't turn away from her friend when she was upset. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Kevin broke up with me," Julie said.  
  
"Oh," Grace said, unsure of how to respond to that.  
  
[[Grace - I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised.]]  
  
"I can't believe he did that to me!" Julie complained, "We were close, you know? We had only gone out for a week, but still.. I thought he really liked me."  
  
"When did he..?" Grace asked.  
  
"He called me last night and broke up with me over the phone!"  
  
"Oh, that sucks," Grace said. "Did he say why?"  
  
"He thinks that I'm too young for him!" Julie said angrily. "Which is totally not true! I think the real reason is because he's ex- girlfriend.."  
  
"Shelley?" Grace interrupted.  
  
"Yeah, Shelley has been trying to get back with him, and I think that's why he dumped me. That jerk!"  
  
"Come on, let's go to lunch," Grace said softly.  
  
"No, I can't go in there!" Julie cried. "He's going to be there, with Shelley!"  
  
"Julie.." Grace said.  
  
"No, I'm blowing off school. I'm going to go home, my mom won't care." Julie looked to Grace, "Want to come?"  
  
"No, I.." Grace trailed off as Jennifer walked towards them. Grace thought Jennifer would continue walking past them, but instead she stopped as she reached the two girls.  
  
"Grace, can I talk to you?" Jennifer's voice was as cold as ice.  
  
Julie's eyes widened. "I'm going to go. I'll call you, Grace, okay?"  
  
Grace nodded and watched Julie leave. Then she turned back to Jennifer and waited for the worse.  
  
"I used to think you were okay," Jennifer said coldly, "For a freshman, that is. But if you think that you can just take Eli away from me--"  
  
"What?" Grace cried, shocked.  
  
"Oh come on, don't act so innocent. People have seen you all over him."  
  
"That's not true.. and anyways, didn't you break up?" Grace asked, confused.  
  
Jennifer gave her a sneer and rolled her eyes, "So? Just lay off him okay?"  
  
Grace just stared at the girl.  
  
[[Grace - What gives her the right?]]  
  
"He wouldn't date you anyways!" Jennifer said with a harsh laugh. She turned and walked away, throwing Grace a mean look over her shoulder.  
  
* * *  
  
"Is here good?" Sarah asked Grace. Grace nodded and the two sat down on the bleachers. Grace looked at the basketball team's bench and picked out the back of Eli's head.  
  
"Kevin dumped Julie, did you hear?" Sarah asked.  
  
Grace nodded, "Yeah, Julie told me."  
  
"You talked to Julie?" Sarah asked in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, she was at school today, but left at lunchtime." Grace caught Eli's profile as he turned and laughed with the guy next to him.  
  
"Did you forgive her?" Sarah asked in disbelief.  
  
"For what?" Grace asked, distracted by Eli.  
  
"For being a complete bitch to us the last week."  
  
"I guess so," Grace said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'm over it."  
  
"Well, I'm not!" Sarah said, disgusted, "If she thinks--"  
  
Grace pulled on her friend's arm, interrupting her. "Jennifer's here!" She gestured to where Jennifer sat with Lisa, a few rows in front of them. "I can't believe that girl!"  
  
"I know!" Sarah's nose wrinkled, "How can she say those things about you?"  
  
"WHAT things?"  
  
"Just that you.." Sarah looked uneasily at Grace, "That you've been trying to sleep with every guy on the team and that you tried to sleep with Eli, and that's why the two of them broke up."  
  
Grace gasped, "But that's totally not true!"  
  
Sarah shrugged, "She's been telling everyone that."  
  
[[Grace - That bitch!]]  
  
Grace shook her head angrily and looked down at Jennifer and then at Eli. "That bitch!"  
  
* * *  
  
A row behind Grace and Sarah and to the right, Rick and Jessie sat, watching the game.  
  
"When he's going to play?" Jessie asked, her voice filled with boredom.  
  
"Soon," Rick said, hoping he was right. "Why don't you go get us something to eat?"  
  
"Nachos?" Jessie asked, finally sounding half-alive. Rick nodded and Jessie began to make her way down the row. She was passing behind two girls when she heard one of them say her brother's name. Jessie glanced at her dad, who was paying close attention to the game and then sat down, just behind the girls, who hadn't noticed her, and listened.  
  
"Jennifer broke up with Eli, how can she say who has the right to date him?" Grace was saying.  
  
"I know!" Sarah agreed. "And she has no right to say those things about you. The whole school was already talking about how your parents walked on you and Eli having sex, and now they're saying that you broke them up!"  
  
Behind them, Jessie's eyes widened.  
  
"That's so untrue, and she knows it!" Grace said angrily. "Whatever!"  
  
"Hey, look, Eli's playing." Sarah said.  
  
Jessie stood up and began making her way down the row, a funny look on her face.  
  
* * *  
  
"Good going, Eli!" Rick said later as Eli joined him and Jessie in the car.  
  
"Dad, we lost," Eli reminded him.  
  
"Well, you still played good." Rick said, starting up the car.  
  
"Well, string-bean, did you have fun?" Eli teased his sister, and was surprised when Jessie didn't smile at him.  
  
"No!" Jessie spat out at him.  
  
Eli furrowed his brow at his sister's unexpected flash of anger. "What's up your--"  
  
"Eli!" Rick warned.  
  
His daughter and son rode in silence, but Rick could still sense the tension between them and wondered what had happened.  
  
[[Rick - I'm supposed to know everything, right? I'm the dad.. I'm supposed to be able to fix everything? Hmm.. why don't kids come with an instruction book?]]  
  
Rick pulled into his parking spot in the apartment parking lot. Eli got out first and Rick turned to Jessie. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"No!" Jessie cried angrily and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her.  
  
Rick sighed.  
  
[[Rick - It's not easy, being a parent.. not at all.]]  
  
* * * 


	6. Holding Back

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Okay, one little extra bit of info later on I talk about Eli's yearbook, and I know my high school always gave us the year books at the end of the year, but for the sake of the story, just pretend that Upton Sinclair does things different, and the kids already have their yearbooks for that year, cuz otherwise Grace wouldn't be in it since she's a freshman.. I've always been a stickler for facts, so that's why I'm saying this, lol. Thanks for reading/reviewing, as always.  
  
Chapter 6//Holding Back  
  
"Jessie, are you sure you don't want to talk to me about whatever bugging you?" Karen asked, concerned. She sat down on her daughter's bed and lightly ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. Jessie shrugged away, and remained silent. "Did something happen with your father? Is this about the.. woman he's dating?"  
  
[[Karen - Jessie used to tell me everything. So did Eli, if you can imagine that. But now, my children are growing apart from me and keeping things from me.. and that's something I don't know if I'll ever get used to.]]  
  
"No, it's not about Daddy!" Jessie said angrily. "It's nothing. I just want to be left alone, okay? I'm tired."  
  
Karen edged off the bed, not liking this. "Jessie, I wish you'd tell me what's wrong."  
  
"Nothing's wrong, mom!" Jessie cried, and then turned and said in a softer tone, "Are we still going shopping tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure honey, if that's what you want."  
  
Jessie nodded and then pulled the covers up over her. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight." Karen reluctantly left the room, closing the door behind her. She went down the hall and knocked on Eli's door.  
  
"Come in." Eli called out. His mother entered, shutting the door quietly behind her.  
  
She walked over to where Eli sat on the floor, an open book in his lap, and headphones around his neck. Eli caught the look she gave him and said defensively, "Music helps me study."  
  
"Well, it better, because you know how important it is that you do well on this test." Karen warned.  
  
"I know, I know." Eli looked up at her questioningly. "Did you figure out what's wrong with Jessie?"  
  
Karen shook her head, letting out a deep breath. "No, she won't talk to me. I was hoping you knew.. did something happen when you guys were with your dad?"  
  
"No. It was strange. Before school she was all happy, and she even wanted to go to the basketball game. But after the game, she was angry.." Eli shrugged.  
  
Karen thought this over. "Hmm, well, maybe we'll give it a day, and see if she's still upset tomorrow. Maybe you could try and talk with her?"  
  
"Ah, mom.." Eli complained. "I don't think she'd talk to me."  
  
"Just give it a try.. it couldn't hurt." Karen pleaded.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Karen turned to leave, but instead looked back at her son with a warm heart. "So, how's everything going with you?"  
  
"Oh, good." Eli said.  
  
"How's Jennifer?"  
  
Eli grimaced, "Uh, we broke up, mom."  
  
"Oh," Karen said in surprise.  
  
[[Karen - I don't know what's happening in their lives. I used to know every freckle on their bodies, and now.. *sigh*]]  
  
"Yeah, well, I should be studying," Eli gestured at the book.  
  
"Right, right. Well, goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, mom." Eli put his headphones back on, and Karen left the room, shutting the door behind her.  
  
* * *  
  
"No, I can't go back to school on Monday, I just can't!" Grace cried into the phone. "You weren't there. First Jennifer threatens me, and tells me to, like, never talk to Eli again.. yeah, I know! And then Sarah tells me that Jennifer is spreading rumors about me.." Grace drops her voice as her mother walks by the living room. "..That I slept with the entire team!.. I know!.. she's being such a bitch!.. yeah, okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow.. Bye."  
  
Grace got up from the couch and went to hang the phone up. She noticed her mother eyeing her. "WHAT?"  
  
"Nothing, I just happened to hear you say something about rumors?" Lily asked carefully, not wanting Grace to get mad at her for listening to her conversation.  
  
[[Lily - Grace just doesn't talk to me like she used to. She used to tell me EVERTHING. And now, I ask her one little question, and she'll clam up..]]  
  
"It's nothing," Grace muttered. She moved to the table and began pulling books out of her backpack.  
  
"Is this about that rumor about you and Eli?" Lily asked.  
  
Grace rolled her eyes, "It's so much more than that."  
  
Lily walked closer to Grace, concern showing in her eyes. "What's going on, honey?"  
  
Grace peeked up at her mom and shrugged, looking away. "There's just this girl at school who doesn't like me, and is saying mean things about me."  
  
[[Lily - I have to fight to get her to talk to me now. And even then, I always know she isn't telling me the whole truth.]]  
  
"Have you talked to this girl?" Lily asked.  
  
"No, mom, that wouldn't work. This girl really hates me."  
  
"Why does she hate you?" Lily asked, her expression showing that she was surprised anyone could ever hate her baby.  
  
"She thinks I've been hitting on her boyfriend, only he's not even her boyfriend, anymore.. they broke up." Grace looked up at her mother, "So, it's like all total bullshit."  
  
"Grace!" Lily said, Grace knew she hated swearing.  
  
Grace looked at her mother with bold eyes, "Well, it is. The girl is just being a bitch."  
  
"Grace!" Lily cried.  
  
Zoe walked in the kitchen, "Who's being a bitch?"  
  
"Zoe!" Lily cried, and just sighed as she looked at her two daughters. "Where do you want to eat?"  
  
"Chuckee Cheese!" Zoe cried.  
  
"No!" Grace's face tightened in disgust, "Mom! I'm not going to a kiddy-place! You guys can go without me."  
  
"It's not a kiddy place!" Zoe argued.  
  
Lily shook her head, "Zoe, you and I will go to Chuckee Cheese another day, okay?"  
  
"Why does Grace always get her way?!" Zoe screeched.  
  
"Because I'm older!" Grace said smugly.  
  
"Girls!" Lily cried.  
  
"Hey." Judy greeted the three of them, and Lily turned to her sister with relief.  
  
"Judy, where do you want to eat?" Lily asked.  
  
Judy shrugged, "I already ate."  
  
The two girls began fighting over where to eat again. Lily glanced at her sister with annoyance, and Judy gave her an 'I'm sorry' shrug.  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you talk to her?" Karen asked as Eli finally came into the kitchen on Saturday morning.  
  
"Mom, I just woke up!" Eli complained, pouring himself a glass of juice.  
  
"Well, Jessie's been up for an hour now, and she's not any better. Something's definitely on her mind, and she won't talk to me. Please, just try and talk to her, okay?"  
  
[[Karen - ..why won't she talk to me? This is so hard.. What if she won't talk to Eli? Then what am I supposed to do? Call Rick and tell him I've failed at being a parent? *Long pause* I can't do that..]]  
  
"Okay," Eli agreed and finished his juice. He began to pour a bowl of cereal and caught the look his mom threw at him. "You mean, now?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Eli set the bowl on top of the counter and went down the hall, to Jessie's room. He knocked lightly on the door. "Jessie, can I come in?"  
  
After a pause, Jessie called out, "I guess."  
  
Eli opened the door and let himself in. Jessie was sitting on her bed, a book opened in front of her. Eli got closer and saw it was his yearbook. "What are you doing with that?"  
  
Jessie threw him a cold look, "I just wanted to find out her name."  
  
"Whose name?" Eli asked, sitting down next to Jessie.  
  
Jessie pointed at a picture, Grace Manning. Eli looked at his sister in confusion, "What is this all about?"  
  
Jessie shrugged, closely the yearbook shut firmly on Grace's picture.  
  
A light dawned in Eli's head, "Is this because of the mom Dad is dating?"  
  
Now it was Jessie who looked confused, "What?"  
  
Eli opened the yearbook and thumbed through the freshman section until he reached Grace's picture again. Eli pointed at it, studying it. "Dad is dating Grace's mom."  
  
"How come you didn't tell me that?" Jessie asked, surprised.  
  
Eli looked down at his sister, "Why? It didn't matter.. you don't know Grace."  
  
"Yeah, but you do," Jessie said, a hint of disgust in her voice.  
  
[[Jessie - Nobody ever tells me anything. They think I'm just a kid. I may be a kid, but I still want to know stuff, you know? I don't want everyone to be keeping things from me.]]  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I heard this girl.. this Grace.. talking about you at the basketball game." Jessie closed the yearbook again, not wanting to see Grace's face.  
  
"You did?" Eli asked in surprise.  
  
"Yeah," Jessie looked at her brother carefully, "How come you didn't tell me that you're seeing her?"  
  
"What? Jessie, I'm not seeing her."  
  
"She said something about her parents walking on you two having sex.. and that's why you and Jennifer broke up." Jessie said, upset. "I really liked Jennifer."  
  
Eli nodded, "I know you did, kiddo. But, Jennifer and I broke up, and it wasn't because of Grace."  
  
"But, she said--"  
  
Eli shook his head, "Jessie, she was talking about a rumor! Somebody started a rumor about her parents walking in on us having sex, because.."  
  
Jessie waited for the explanation, "Because of what?"  
  
Eli sighed, not wanting to have to say it. "Because something Grace said got twisted around. She had been talking about how she walked in on her mother.. and Dad-- and they twisted that around to make it be about us."  
  
"She walked in on her mother and dad -- doing what?" Jessie asked, wanting to know the whole truth for once.  
  
[[Jessie - I don't want people to feel they have to shield me from the truth]]  
  
Eli shrugged, "They were close, making out or something.."  
  
"Having sex?" Jessie said, disgusted.  
  
"No, not that far," Eli said firmly, "But Grace said it was headed in that direction."  
  
Jessie handed him the yearbook, and turned away from him.  
  
"Jessie.." Eli pleaded.  
  
Jessie wouldn't turn around. Finally Eli got up and left.  
  
[[Jessie -I wish Eli would have told me about this Grace girl earlier. I wish I didn't have to find out about it like I did.]] 


	7. Rumors, Lies, and Ice Cream

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Thanks for the reviews!! And as always, thanks for reading. And now on to the show..  
  
Chapter 7//Rumors, Lies, and Ice Cream  
  
Grace reluctantly stepped inside the halls of Upton Sinclair. She didn't want to be there, not after what that lying skank Jennifer had been saying about her. She just wanted to be in her bed, with the pillow over her head. But, of course, her mother wouldn't allow that. So, here she was, at the last place she wanted to be.  
  
Grace caught her name in a whispered conversation and forced herself to just keep on walking and not scream. She would make it through this, she would.  
  
"..I heard Grace slept.."  
  
Grace picked up her pace, trying to ignore the careless murmurs. This was horrible!  
  
"..the whole basketball team, even the coach.."  
  
[[Grace - Lies. It's all lies. Can't they tell that? Do they actually think that I would do those things?]]  
  
"..then she set her claws into trying to steal Eli from Jen.."  
  
Grace made it to her locker and opened it, the old metal screeching. Grace felt like screeching herself. If the whole day was like this, she just might. Grace pulled out the books for her first couple of classes, and put them in her backpack.  
  
"Grace?"  
  
Grace turned, her eyes glaring, ready for a battle. But it was only Eli.  
  
"Hi," Grace said dully. Any other day she would be thrilled to have Eli talking to her, but today.. Grace sighed, "Are you sure you want to be seen talking to the biggest slut in school?"  
  
Eli flinched at her remarks, and moved even closer to her, leaving only a foot between them. "Grace.."  
  
Grace looked into his eyes, feeling anger rising up in her as she realized it was because of Eli's ex-girlfriend, that her life was now hell. "Oh, don't play stupid, Eli! I know it's Jennifer that started this!"  
  
Eli looked away, guiltily. Grace felt her anger start boiling up dangerously inside her. She had to yell at someone!  
  
"Eli, just don't EVEN talk to me anymore! If it wasn't for you, none of this would be happening!" Grace shrieked.  
  
[[Grace - I can't believe I said that.]]  
  
Eli's face scrunched up as he studied her. Finally he shook his head, and spat out, "Fine!"  
  
"Good!" Grace cried, needing to say something, but feeling too horrible to do what she should do, which was apologize. Eli shook his head once more and walked away. Grace watched him go, and realized that people were watching her watching him, and turned back to her locker in disgust. She had just screwed things up royally.  
  
* * *  
  
"Do you think that we should take the next step?" Lily asked later that day. She was talking to Rick on the phone from the small office at Sister's Bookstore.  
  
Rick nervously cleared his throat at that, and Lily realized her statement had been too general for a man to handle. "I mean, meeting each other's kids."  
  
"Oh," Rick said, clearly relieved. "But, I've already met yours."  
  
Lily's face flushed at the memory of Jake, Grace and Zoe walking in on her and Rick getting intimate on the couch. She put a hand to her forehead and said into the phone, "That doesn't count!"  
  
"I guess we could try it.." Rick agreed.  
  
"Good. We'll do your kids first."  
  
"Why mine first?" Rick complained.  
  
"Because they haven't walked in on us!" Lily explained.  
  
"Alright. Why don't you come over tonight? I've got the kids."  
  
"Tonight?" Lily cried in shock, even though it had been her idea.  
  
"Yeah. Just swing by.. to drop something off. We'll make it a quick little meeting, and it'll be over." Rick said.  
  
Lily smiled, "That does sound good. Okay."  
  
"Okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Lily said, smiling.  
  
[[Lily - I can't believe how much Rick means to me already. He's.. he's just so important to me.]]  
  
* * *  
  
As soon as Grace got into the car after school, Lily knew something was wrong. She looked at her daughter, her heart breaking at the pain she saw on Grace's face, as her daughter struggled not to cry. "Grace?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, mom." Grace buckled up, and turned her head to the window.  
  
"Is this about that girl who's been spreading lies about you, honey?"  
  
Grace shuddered slightly, and Lily knew she was right. Lily waited until after they had picked up Zoe and returned home, before saying anything else, though.  
  
"Mom, can I make pancakes tonight?" Zoe asked as the car rolled to a stop.  
  
"Maybe, honey." Lily looked at Grace in the passenger's seat, who was motionless.  
  
Zoe began to get out of the car, but stopped as she realized no one else was moving. "Mom?"  
  
"Just go in the house. Grace and I will be right in." Lily explained.  
  
Zoe reluctantly got out of the car, thinking that Grace must be in trouble, and Zoe didn't want to miss any of it.  
  
Lily waited until Zoe had gone in the door, and then she reached out, putting her hand on Grace's shoulder. "Grace, talk to me about it."  
  
Grace finally looked at her, her eyes filled with tears. "They're so horrible, mom!"  
  
"I know, I know." Lily comforted her. "High school just tends to be horrible itself."  
  
[[Lily - Junior year, in high school.. there was a rumor about me and.. oh what's his name?.. Brian?]]  
  
"The worse thing is I kind of took it out on this guy I like. I yelled at him, when he didn't even do anything. It was all his ex's fault!" Grace's tears overflowed down her face.  
  
[[Lily - Brad? No.. Blake! Yes, Blake Shelton. He was a very popular senior. And he asked me out. I couldn't believe this guy wanted to date me. So I said yes, of course.]]  
  
"Oh, Grace, I'm sure he realizes that you didn't mean it." Lily said gently.  
  
"No, I don't think he does! I was so mean to him. But I just felt so angry, that I had to let it out. He hates me now, I know it." Grace sighed.  
  
[[Lily - He turned out to be a big jerk. We went out only once. And he was such a pig the whole night, that I couldn't even kiss his cheek when he dropped me off. But when I got to school Monday, I found out that he had told everyone that I had slept with him..]]  
  
"Oh, Grace, everything will be okay, it will!" Lily insisted.  
  
Grace shook her head, "I don't think it will."  
  
"Give it time. Rumors, especially false rumors, never last." Lily said.  
  
Grace wiped her face with her hands, and pushed the car door open. She gave her mother a 'you don't know what you're talking about' look and shut the door behind her.  
  
Alone inside the car, Lily sighed deeply.  
  
[[Lily - I hated him for doing that to me. And I hated everyone for believing it.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Come on, ice cream trip!" Lily called out to the two lumps on the sofa.  
  
"31 Flavors?" Zoe cried, jumping up.  
  
"How about just one flavor? I don't have enough money for them all," Lily joked and waited to see if Grace was getting up. "Grace, you coming?"  
  
Grace got up with annoyance, knowing from experience that it would take less effort to just go, rather than to argue with her mother over way she wasn't going.  
  
The phone rang. Lily went and picked it up.  
  
"So, are you still coming tonight?" Rick asked her.  
  
"Oh, God, Rick! I totally forgot." Lily turned to make sure no one was listening in and added, "Grace is in a bad mood. I've been trying to cheer her up. Sorry."  
  
"That's okay. I was just calling to say that maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Eli's in a bad mood himself." Rick explained.  
  
"Yeah, another night, then," Lily said gloomily.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Rick said, his voice sounding just as down as Lily's.  
  
Lily turned and looked over her shoulder. Her daughters were still out of hearing range. She smiled, "You know what? I just got an idea.."  
  
"Hmm, really?" Rick said, his voice lighter than before. "I like ideas."  
  
Lily looked around once more and let him in on the details.  
  
* * *  
  
"Do we HAVE to stay?" Grace complained as they bought their ice cream cones. "Can't we just go home?"  
  
"No," Lily said firmly. She looked around the small shop and then led her daughters to a booth.  
  
Zoe eagerly licked her Superman ice cream cone, and Grace barely touched her Maple Nut. Lily found her own plain Vanilla melting as she watched the door.  
  
Finally Rick entered. Along with him was a happy-looking Jessie and a miserable-looking Eli. They ordered their cones and then Rick spotted Lily. He said something to his kids and the three made their way over to them.  
  
"Lily!" Rick said, her voice overflowing with shock. He was trying too hard not to make it look like a mere coincidence, and not like a set- up.  
  
"Rick!" Lily said. Jessie's bubbly eyes had gone flat, and Eli looked even more miserable, if that was possible, as they approached the table.  
  
Grace looked up with a start as her mother called out Rick's name, and her eyes immediately locked with Eli's.  
  
[[Grace - No! No! No!]]  
  
[[Eli - No! No! No!]]  
  
"What a surprise!" Lily cried, her acting skills slightly better than Rick's. "These are my daughters: Grace and Zoe. Girls, you.. remember Rick, my boyfriend."  
  
"Hi!" Zoe called out, already finishing off her ice cream cone.  
  
Grace mumbled something, becoming aware that her ice cream was melting over her fingers. She didn't take her tortured eyes off Eli, though. She couldn't believe this was happening.  
  
"Nice to meet you, girls." Rick said. He pulled a reluctant Jessie closer to him. "This is my daughter Jessie, and my son, Eli. You guys remember Lily from the carnival, right?"  
  
Jessie was speechless. Eli mumbled a quick hello.  
  
Lily and Rick exchanged glances. It wasn't going as good as they had hoped.  
  
[[Grace - Look at him! He doesn't even care what a horrible day I had thanks to his ex-girlfriend!]]  
  
[[Eli - Look at her! She's not even sorry she was so mean to me over something that wasn't my fault!]]  
  
"Dad, my ice cream is melting," Jessie spoke up. "Can we go?"  
  
"Oh, sure," Rick said, and before the words were even out of his mouth, Eli and Jessie were headed for the doors. "Bye Lily. Bye Zoe. Bye Grace."  
  
"Bye!" Lily and Zoe said together.  
  
Grace dropped her dripping cone onto a napkin. She waited until Rick had left the door, and then turned to her mother. "How could you do that to me??"  
  
"What?"  
  
Grace stood up, "Come on, mom, I know you planned this little accidental meeting!" She sighed. "I'll be in the car."  
  
[[Grace - Everything is wrong in my life! Wrong, wrong, wrong!]]  
  
* * * 


	8. Fear and Loathing

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 8//Fear and Loathing  
"And so, we're sitting there, at the ice cream place, and guess who comes over!?"  
  
"Who?" Julie asked, her eyes getting big.  
  
Grace looked around at the quickly crowding school lawn. School would be starting in five minutes, but Grace HAD to tell Julie about what her mother did to her last night.  
  
"My mom's new boyfriend, of course!" Grace told Julie. "... and his kids!"  
  
[[Grace - I hate her for that. How could she not tell me she was planning this? Eli was there... Ugh!]]  
  
"You mean, Eli was there?" Julie asked, finally understanding why Grace was so upset.  
  
"Yeah," Grace said angrily. "It's enough that I have to see him at school, after the rumors Jennifer is spreading about me, but now I have to see him other places too, thanks to my mom!"  
  
"Oh, wow," Julie grimaced, "That must have been horrible."  
  
"It was." Grace sighed, thinking back to the night before. Thinking of the expression of hostility she had seen on Eli's face.  
  
[[Grace - Eli hates me now. He does! Well... good, cuz I... *pause* hate him too. *a tortured look into the camera*]]  
  
"Oh, there he is!" Julie warned, looking over Grace's shoulder. Grace didn't even turn around to look at him. She couldn't bare to see him. "Oh, Grace..." Julie's face twisted into concern, "I think he's coming over here."  
  
"What?!" Grace turned and saw that indeed Eli was headed towards them. She grabbed Julie's arm, pushing her forward, "You know, I really don't want to hear what he has to say!" Julie began to walk with her, as they moved away from Eli.  
  
"Grace, maybe he's trying to apologize or something?" Julie asked, throwing a glance back at where Eli had stopped walking towards them, and instead was just staring after them.  
  
"Hardly!" Grace snapped. They continued walking.  
  
[[Grace - He has ruined my life... okay, it wasn't HIM that ruined it, but his bitchy girlfriend, Jennifer. But if it wasn't for him, Jennifer would have never said those things! You know what? I just hope he does go back with her! At least then, everything would go back to normal! *sigh*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli!" Jennifer called out, her voice bubbling with joy.  
  
Eli looked away from where Grace was just entering the school. He looked at Jennifer, his eyes narrowing at the sight of her. He threw one more glance at the doors, seeing that Grace was no longer visible, because she had gone in the school.  
  
[[Eli - Grace hates me. But it's not my fault.. it's all Jennifer's.]]  
  
"Hey, sweetie, how are you?" Jennifer asked when he looked back at her again.  
  
"Sweetie?" Eli asked in disgust.  
  
[[Eli - It wasn't until we broke up, that I got to see the real Jen. And I didn't like what I saw... How could she do that to Grace? Grace never did anything to her.]]  
  
Jennifer's lips tightened, she moved closer to Eli. "I was thinking about you and me.."  
  
"Don't even try, Jen!" Eli looked at his girlfriend with revulsion. This was a girl he had once loved, but now he saw her for what she truly was.  
  
"Eli!" Jennifer complained. "I just thought-"  
  
"Why are you doing this to Grace?" Eli interrupted her.  
  
"Oh, come on, it's just a couple of fibs." Jennifer smiled, "And it wasn't ME, you know that."  
  
"No, it was you!" Eli argued. "And it wasn't a couple of 'fibs', it was a whole bunch of heartless hurtful rumors!"  
  
"Oh, no one actually believes it!" Jen laughed. "Everyone knows that NO ONE would EVER have sex with that awful girl, Grace! She's just not cool enough."  
  
Eli shook his head in disgust. "She's a nice girl. There's nothing wrong with that. And you know what? You're the SLUT, Jennifer!"  
  
Jen gasped. Her eyes glared fire into his own. "I can't believe you, Eli. You're a LOSER. Everyone's going to know what a loser you are!"  
  
"So, what?" Eli asked. He turned around, and walked away from her. He heard her shout after him, but he didn't care. He was done with her.  
  
[[Eli - The last thing I would have expected a few months ago... before my dad starting dating Grace's mom... is that Jennifer and I would break up, and that I would end up hating her. And I never expected to... to have Grace become a part of my life. I didn't even know who she was a couple of months ago. And now... *half smile*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"I guess bringing our kids together was a bad idea, huh?" Lily asked later that night, as she and Rick sat down to a dinner at his apartment.  
  
Rick smiled his easy smile, "Yeah, I guess it was."  
  
"Zoe was fine with it, but Grace.. Grace was so angry with me yesterday over it. I didn't realize it would affect her that much. I mean, she knew I was dating you." Lily sipped her wine. "How did yours take it?"  
  
"Eli was angry too. He pretended he hadn't minded, but I could tell he was upset over it, for some reason. And Jessie, oh boy. She wouldn't talk to me the whole night." Rick cut off a piece of his chicken and put it in his mouth. "But I talked to her this morning, before Karen picked them up, and I think she's dealing with it better, now."  
  
Lily sighed, and Rick joined her with his own sigh. "Why is this SO hard?" Lily asked him.  
  
Rick shrugged, "Because it just is."  
  
* * *  
  
Jessie looked into her mirror, studying the slightly scrawny girl that stood before her. She lifted her blond hair up into a ponytail, like how Grace had been wearing her hair at the ice cream place the night before. She stuck her tongue out at herself with disgust.  
  
[[Jessie - Why did we have to meet them?]]  
  
She dropped her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders, and smiled at herself.  
  
A knock came from the door, and Jessie called out, "Come in."  
  
Eli entered. "Hey string-bean."  
  
Jessie grimaced at the nickname, "What do you want?"  
  
"What did you think of them?" Eli asked, sitting down on her bed.  
  
Jessie jumped onto the bed, sitting next to him. "They're okay."  
  
"I'm not dad, tell me the truth."  
  
Jessie shrugged, "They were all so pretty."  
  
"Yeah, the mom's a looker," Eli agreed absentmindedly.  
  
Jessie looked away, and then back at her brother, "Grace was really pretty too."  
  
Eli was surprised into a smile, "You think?"  
  
Jessie wriggled off the bed, and picked up her brush. "Yeah," Jessie answered him as she began brushing her hair. She stopped and looked at her reflection in the mirror, "Do you think I will ever be pretty?"  
  
Eli smiled at his sister's reflection. He wasn't used to questions like that from Jessie. Jessie had never seemed that interested in looks. "Of course.. I mean, you already are, kiddo."  
  
Jessie shrugged, studying her reflection.  
  
[[Jessie - Eli HAS to say that. He's my brother. But the girls he dates are so pretty... Laura, Stephanie, Jennifer, and now Grace.]]  
  
"Dinner's ready!" Their mother called from the kitchen.  
  
"Dinner's ready," Eli told Jessie, standing up.  
  
"I know, I heard," Jessie said, brushing her hair.  
  
Eli moved to leave. He paused at the door, looking back at his sister.  
  
[[Eli - Jessie is perfect, just the way she is... Does that sound stupid?]]  
  
Jessie watched his reflection in the mirror as he left the room.  
  
[[Jessie - All Eli dates are these perfect pretty girls. My dad's dating a perfect beautiful woman too now. My mom's always been perfect! I just want to be perfect, too.]] 


	9. Newfound Questions

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 9//Newfound Questions  
  
"Grace? Could you pass me the salt?" Her mother asked.  
  
Grace picked up the salt and shoved it towards her mother. Lily took it and stared at her daughter with annoyance. "Grace, you can't be this mad at me because of the ice cream thing."  
  
Grace was silent. She moved her broccoli around her plate with her fork.  
  
"I'm not mad at you, mommy," Zoe piped up.  
  
"Thank you, honey," Lily said, giving Zoe a quick smile. She looked back at Grace, and frowned. "Grace, just talk to me about it, then? Why won't you give Rick a chance?"  
  
"It's not about Rick, okay?" Grace snapped. "Just, just forget it, mom."  
  
Zoe looked back and forth at the two of them and then said, "I think it's about the son."  
  
"What?" Lily looked to Zoe.  
  
Zoe shrugged, "Grace is always talking about him on the phone."  
  
"You snot! Are you listening in on my phone calls! MOM!" Grace cried with annoyance. She looked at her mother to punish Zoe, but Lily was too interested in what Zoe had told her.  
  
"This is.. about Eli, Gracie?" Lily questioned.  
  
Grace sighed, setting down her fork. "If you MUST know... YES, it is."  
  
[[Grace - She always has to know EVERYTHING! Can't I just not tell her stuff?]]  
  
"Why.. why are you mad at Eli?" Lily asked in confusion. "I thought you had a crush on him."  
  
"MOM!" Grace cried in disgust.  
  
"She does!" Zoe said, smiling. "All she ever talks about is him! She's in LOVE!"  
  
"Zoe!" Grace cried, "Shut up!"  
  
"Grace, don't talk to Zoe that way! Zoe, don't say things you don't know are true." Lily tried to remedy the situation.  
  
"But it is true!" Zoe said insistently.  
  
"Is not!" Grace threw her sister a look of pure hatred. "I don't even like him! He's a jerk!"  
  
"Grace!" Lily cried.  
  
Grace raised her eyebrows and looked at her mother. "Well, he is. You're just going to have to face the fact that your boyfriend raised a hideous kid."  
  
"Grace, how can you say that? What did this boy do?" Lily asked.  
  
Grace rose up in her seat, "You know what? I'm not hungry anymore!"  
  
"Grace, sit down, we're having a discussion."  
  
[[Grace - Can't she see that I don't want to talk about Eli?? God, why does she have to pry into my life!?]]  
  
Grace stared down at her mother, "No! I HATE him, mom, that's all you need to know!" Grace turned and stormed out of the room.  
  
Lily released a deep breath, and picked up her fork again. She looked at Zoe, "So how was your day?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace!"  
  
Grace continued walking, not wanting to turn around. HE was there.  
  
"Grace!" Eli caught up with her. He walked alongside her, his pace matching hers. "Grace, come on... talk to me."  
  
[[Grace - Eli... no, no, I CAN'T talk to him! If I do talk to him, I'll only end up being mean to him again... I don't want to do that.]]  
  
Grace snuck a glance over at him. He looked as good as ever. And his eyes were staring so intently into hers.. Grace looked away. "Don't even bother, Eli. I don't want to talk to you."  
  
Eli continued walking with her. They reached the sidewalk, and Grace stopped, scanning the cars for her mother's. And of course the one time Grace would appreciate her mother's usual promptness, Lily was late. Grace stood still, waiting and hoping her mother would arrive soon.  
  
[[Eli - Come on... why won't she just talk to me? Why... why is it bugging me so much that this one girl won't talk to me?]]  
  
"Grace, it's not my fault that Jen--" Eli began.  
  
Grace looked up at him, her eyes chilly. "You didn't break up with her, causing her to spread horrid rumors about me?" Grace expected him to be silent in response to that question, and was surprised when he spoke up.  
  
"No, Jen is the one that broke up with me.." Eli said.  
  
"She is?" Grace asked in shock, "But why would she.." Grace cut herself off, still too angry to even care. So, she broke up with him, what did it matter? Either way, Grace's life was still miserable because of their breakup.  
  
[[Grace - Jennifer broke up with ELI? Why she do that? He's, like, perfect!]]  
  
"I don't know why she spread those rumors, Grace. I'm really sorry about that. I think she decided she wanted to get back with me, and she thought she had to get you out of the way." Eli said gently.  
  
Grace smiled, "But that's ridiculous. I wasn't in the way.."  
  
Eli smiled too. "Yeah... but uh, Jen thought so, and she tried to get back with me the other day."  
  
Grace waited for him to continue.  
  
"But I couldn't be with a girl who is so mean to people like that."  
  
Grace looked away and found she couldn't keep her eyes off him for too long. She looked back into his eyes. "I guess I was pretty mean to you these last couple of days."  
  
Eli shook his head, "No, you weren't. You were just mad, and you had good reasons. I can respect that."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry anyways." Grace said.  
  
[[Eli - I'm glad Grace isn't mad at me anymore. I hated having her me mad at me. Grace... I like that name, Grace. It's a pretty name.]]  
  
[[Grace - I can't believe it was this easy... I should have talked to him earlier. Then we could have been.. friends, this whole time, instead of me hating him. I don't think I ever hated him, not really...]]  
  
"You're forgiven," Eli said, he moved closer to her. He reached out a hand, touching the shell necklace around her neck. "That's really pretty."  
  
"Thanks," Grace said in a breathy whisper. She couldn't believe how close she was too him. Her heart was beating madly. She looked up into his greenish brown eyes. He looked back.  
  
* * *  
  
"Zoe!" Lily cried when Zoe came out of the elementary school doors. Lily had been waiting for a while already, and she had just gotten out of the car to go investigate. "Where have you been?" She demanded.  
  
Zoe squirmed guiltily, "I was in the gym with Erin, and I lost track of the time."  
  
"Why were you playing in the gym after school anyway?" Lily asked as they headed to the car.  
  
"Oh, in gym class this month, we have to climb ropes. And I just CAN'T climb it, mommy. So, we were practicing. I'm getting better. I made it halfway up!" Zoe cried with excitement as they entered the car.  
  
Lily's heart flipped at the idea of Zoe playing around on the ropes without proper supervision. She could have fallen, and.. "Zoe, don't do that again, okay? You know you shouldn't be doing stuff like that, alone!"  
  
"I wasn't alone!" Zoe argued. "Erin was there! And Mr. Keller was still there, too."  
  
"Oh," Lily let out a breath of relief knowing the gym teacher was there. "But, you ask me next time you want to do something like that. I was worried something had happened to you, when you didn't come out right away. And always make sure the teacher is there to supervise."  
  
"Yes, mom," Zoe said with annoyance, sounding very much like Grace.  
  
Lily let it pass, she was late for picking up Grace. She drove to the high school, Zoe being unusually quiet for once. As they pulled up before the school, Lily looked through the window for Grace.  
  
"Isn't that Eli?" Zoe asked, excitement coming back to her. She sat up straighter in her seat. "He's with Grace!"  
  
Lily looked at where her daughter was looking. Sure enough, Grace was standing with Eli on the sidewalk. They were standing very close, especially considering how Grace had said she hated him. As Lily watched the two in surprise, Eli moved even closer to her daughter, and his hand toyed with Grace's favorite necklace. The two of them were gazing intently into each other's eyes.  
  
[[Lily - It can't be. I never thought anything would actually become out of Grace's little crush. Grace and Eli? My daughter and his son? No...]]  
  
Zoe let out a squeal of laughter, "Mom, they're going to KISS! I told you she LOVED him!"  
  
Lily found her hand coming down on the horn without even thinking about it. Or, maybe without thinking too much about it. All she knew she didn't want to see her daughter and Rick's son *together* like that.  
  
[[Lily - What if... I mean, someday what if Rick and I got married... then what... *sigh* This is too weird. What am I going to do?]]  
  
* * *  
  
Grace jumped back at the sound of the horn. She looked at the road, and saw to her dismay that her mother had finally arrived. Zoe's face was just about plastered against the window, staring out at her and Eli. "My mom..." Grace said, taking another step back.  
  
Eli nodded, the smile on his face twisting slightly. "Uh, can I call you?"  
  
[[Grace - CALL ME???? HE wants to call ME! Oh, my God!!!]]  
  
Grace's own smile grew, "Yeah! I mean, sure... Do you have my number?"  
  
"No, but I think I can get it from my dad." Eli said with amusement.  
  
Grace nodded. She glanced over at her mother's car. Zoe was still watching them intently, but her mother was looking away, in the other direction. "I'm going to go."  
  
"Okay, bye."  
  
"Bye." Grace said, and hurried off to the car.  
  
She got in the backseat, then looked back at Eli. He had already turned and was walking towards a group of his friends. Grace shut the door, and couldn't help but smile at what just happened. She noticed her mother looking at her in the rearview mirror and she tried to dull down her joyful smile.  
  
Zoe turned around, throwing a superior look at her sister, "I knew you LOVED him!"  
  
Grace smile changed into a tight line, "Shut up!"  
  
Grace leaned back against the seat. Occasionally she caught her mother's eyes looking back on her in the rearview mirror, questioningly. But Grace was too happy to think about her mother.  
  
[[Grace - He wants to call ME! Oh... my... God...]]  
  
* * * 


	10. The Telephone Exchange

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Lol, yeah, sorry if you read the "mistake" chapter... I don't know how I uploaded the wrong chapter into the wrong series, lol. But the right one is up now, so anyways... Thanks for the reviews. : )  
  
Chapter 10//The Telephone Exchange.  
  
"Dad, did you have the Manning's number?"  
  
"The Mannings?" Rick asked in confusion, "As in Lily?"  
  
"As in Grace," Eli corrected him.  
  
"Oh," Rick scribbled down the number for his son. "I didn't realize you and Grace were friends. I thought she was only a freshman."  
  
Eli took the number from his dad. "She is... but she's cool."  
  
"Who's cool?" Jessie asked, coming in the kitchen.  
  
"Grace Manning, apparently," Rick said, teasing his son.  
  
Jessie frowned a bit. "Oh."  
  
Eli grabbed the phone off the hook.  
  
"Are you dating her??" Jessie asked.  
  
Eli looked at his sister in surprise, "No, we're just friends." He gave them one last look and escaped to the privacy of his room. Jessie watched him go with her eyes narrowed.  
  
[[Jessie - What's so special about HER anyways? Yeah, she's kind of pretty, but so are millions of other girls... so why is my brother all hung up on HER?]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Mom, can I get a tattoo?" Zoe asked.  
  
Lily gasped, "Never! Zoe!"  
  
Zoe frowned, and drank some more of her soda. "Julia said when she turns16, her parents are going to let her get a tattoo. She's going to get a rose. I think tattoos are cool."  
  
"Not going to happen," Lily said firmly, sensing that Zoe was about to ask again.  
  
"Mom!" Zoe cried.  
  
"You know what, when you turn 18, then we'll TALK about a tattoo." Lily said.  
  
"That's 8 years away!" Zoe said angrily.  
  
"What's the difference between 6 years away and 8?" Lily asked.  
  
"You know, Zoe, when you're 18, you can get all the tattoos you want, and you don't need your parent's permission," Grace added from the far end of the table.  
  
Lily looked at Grace with annoyance, "Thanks." Grace shrugged.  
  
Zoe's eyes were lit up as she pondered how many tattoos she should get.  
  
"Zoe..." Lily began, and stopped as the phone rang. Zoe jumped up and got it first.  
  
[[Grace - I know Eli said he'd call, but that was just earlier today... Guys never call that soon after they tell you they are going to call. But then again, I don't think I ever had a guy call me before about anything not school-related... unless you count Jeff Renskin, and that SO doesn't count, because we were in the first grade, and I didn't even like him.... he wore the same shirt every day... it was disgusting.]]  
  
"Hello?" Zoe asked. She paused, throwing a look back at Grace. "Yeah, hold on."  
  
Grace jumped up off her chair and grabbed the phone out of her sister's hand. "Hello?" She asked as she exited the kitchen, heading for her bedroom. She thought it might be Julie, but..  
  
"Hi Grace.... it's Eli."  
  
[[Grace - It was ELI.]]  
  
"Oh, hi," Grace said, hurrying up the last of the stairs. She escaped into her room with a smile, shutting the door behind her. "How are you?"  
  
"Uh, good. You?" Eli asked.  
  
"Good, good." Grace sat on her bed, and tried to think of something to say to this amazing guy. "So, you got my number from your dad?"  
  
"Yeah," On his end, Eli smiled. "I think he thought I was trying to call your mom at first."  
  
Grace laughed. "Yeah, it is weird that our parents are dating.."  
  
"Very weird." Eli agreed.  
  
[[Grace - This is SO weird... talking to him on the phone. I don't know what to say to him!]]  
  
"So, are things going any better at school?" Eli asked.  
  
"Hmm?" Grace questioned.  
  
"I mean about the rumors, and Jennifer."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I guess. The rumors are kind of dying down, I guess." Grace said, and realized in surprise that what she said was true. Even though earlier today SHE had still been mad and upset over the rumors, people hadn't been whispering about her or anything like that. Grace had just been too upset to realize that the rumors were fading.  
  
"That's good," Eli said, "I don't think anyone really ever believed them anyway. Well, maybe the part about you breaking me and Jennifer up."  
  
"Really?" Grace asked in surprise. "People believe that?"  
  
"Yeah, people keep asking me if I'm dating you."  
  
"Wow, that's weird." Grace said, smiling at the thought of people thinking she and Eli were dating.  
  
[[Grace - Okay, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad my mother is dating Rick. If she had never started dating him, then I, like, probably wouldn't be talking to Eli on the phone right now! Funny how things work out, huh?]]  
  
* * *  
  
Lily picked up Zoe's empty glass and put in the sink. Zoe was now completely absorbed in drawing out detailed pictures of what the tattoos she was going to get looked like. Lily walked over to her daughter and studied the drawings.  
  
"A frog?" She questioned.  
  
"Yup, and a tulip... I don't want to get a rose. Julia's getting a rose, but I've never liked roses that much. They are thorns, and tulips are just much nicer." Zoe pointed at another drawing. "And this one is a dolphin."  
  
Lily nodded, not bothering to argue with Zoe over the idea of tattoos, since it would be years before her daughter could get them, and by that she would have grown out of this stage. She glanced over at the telephone charger, noticing the "In Use" light was still on. "Who called for Grace?" Lily asked, trying to make it come out causally.  
  
"A guy," Zoe said.  
  
[[Lily - *Staring hard into the camera* A guy?]]  
  
"Oh." Lily moved away from the table and went into the living room. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at the closed doorway to Grace's room. Finally she sat down heavily on the bottom stair with a sigh. Her face fell into her hands.  
  
[[Lily - I really think Rick and I have something. Once I get divorced from Jake, I think we'll get even closer. And unless, some unexpected bump stops us, then hopefully we'll get married someday... that would make Grace and Eli stepsiblings... stepsister and stepbrother... oh, boy.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"No way!" Grace said into the phone.  
  
"No, it's true!" Eli insisted, "Every one in the junior and senior class knows about it."  
  
"But he's, like, a teacher and she's like, 17! And he's such a DORK... why would she date him?" Grace cried in disbelief at the news that a student was dating one of the math teachers, Mr. Glen.  
  
"I know, it's sick, isn't it?"  
  
"Totally!" Grace agreed, smiling.  
  
[[Grace - I didn't expect him to be this easy to talk to.. it's like, just so easy to talk to him.]]  
  
"Oh, hold on a second," Eli said as a knock came on his bedroom door. He set down the phone on his bed and went to the door. His dad stood in the doorway.  
  
"Hey, are you done with the phone?" Rick asked.  
  
"Oh, not really.." Eli looked at the phone. "But hold on, I'll get off it."  
  
Eli went over to the phone, "Grace, I got to go. My dad probably wants to call your mom."  
  
"Oh, okay. Bye."  
  
"Bye." Eli clicked off the phone and handed it to his dad. Rick raised his eyebrows at his son.  
  
"What?" Eli asked, "It's true, isn't it? You wanted to call the Mom."  
  
Rick couldn't lie. He purposely didn't answer Eli, instead taking the phone and heading into his bedroom.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace hung up the phone, a bit disappointed. She stood up and began walking across her room when the phone rang in her hands. She answered. "Hello?"  
  
"Oh, hi Grace, it's Rick."  
  
Grace smiled slightly, remembering what Eli had said. "Hi. Hold on, I'll get my mom." She opened her bedroom door, and to her surprise her mother was just standing outside of it. "Here, it's for you... it's Rick."  
  
Lily took the phone, looking her daughter over carefully.  
  
Grace squirmed under her mother's eyes, and retreated into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Lily continued down the hall, entering her own bedroom.  
  
"Hello?" She asked after sitting down on her bed.  
  
"Hey, beautiful, how are you?" Rick asked.  
  
"Okay," Lily answered, falling down to lie on her bed. "Was Eli just talking to Grace on the phone?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, actually he was," Rick answered, not seeming concerned about it.  
  
[[Lily - Doesn't it see the problems it would cause if Grace and Eli were to... date?]]  
  
"Isn't nice that they are friends?" Rick continued.  
  
[[Lily - Friends?? Am I throwing too much into this? Is it possible that they could just be FRIENDS?]]  
  
"Friends? Eli said that?" Lily asked carefully.  
  
"Yeah. I think it's nice that at least two of our kids like each other. Maybe if we got them all together for dinner or something, Zoe and Jessie could have a chance to become friends too. And then we'd have one big happy family." Rick said.  
  
[[Lily - *Smiling* Did he just say 'one big happy FAMILY'? *A even bigger smile* Wow. I'm not even divorced from Jake yet, and he's talking about... wow.]]  
  
"Lily?" Rick asked after her long silence. He hadn't even caught what he had said.  
  
"Friday sound good?" Lily asked. "I could make dinner for all us. Pasta sound good?"  
  
"That sounds very good. I'll check with the kids and get back to you on that. Oh, I've got to go, Jessie needs the phone."  
  
"Okay, bye, Rick."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Lily turned off the phone with a smile. Her earlier worries about Grace and Eli having been forgotten as she thought instead about her and Rick.  
  
* * * 


	11. In the Spoken Silence

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey everyone who's reading this.... thanks so much for reading and reviewing as always. P.S. I'm in the process of making a website for my fanfics. I'm working on making pictures that go with each of my chapters. If you want check it out. It's my "homepage link" under my author info. Thanks.  
  
Chapter 11//In the Spoken Silence  
  
"So, are you guys up for it?" Lily asked. She had just told her daughters about the plan for having a dinner with Rick and his kids on Friday.  
  
"Okay," Zoe agreed.  
  
Grace smiled happily. "Sounds good to me."  
  
[[Grace - I can't believe it! It's like I'm going on a double date with Eli, and our parents... and Zoe and Jessie, but still... Like, I can't believe my luck... this is great!]]  
  
* * *  
  
"So, Friday, Lily wanted to know if we wanted to go over to her house for dinner." Rick told his kids.  
  
"You want US to go on your date with you?" Jessie asked. "Why?"  
  
"You idiot," Eli shook his head at his sister's words. "It's not that kind of date. Dad wants us to meet her and her kids."  
  
"But we already did that," Jessie protested, and expected Eli to back her up. But Eli didn't seem to mind the idea of spending dinner with The Mom and her kids. Probably because Grace will be there, Jessie thought. But Jessie wasn't about to agree to this so easily. "Dad, we already met them... at the ice cream place, remember?"  
  
[[Jessie - HELLO! Come on, dad, can't you see? I DON'T want to do this! Hello, anybody?]]  
  
"I'll go." Eli announced.  
  
Rick smiled at his son. He looked at Jessie and waited.  
  
"Why do we have to do this?" Jessie asked. "It's not like you're serious about The Mom."  
  
Rick looked at his daughter in surprise, "Jessie.. I am serious about Lily. I thought you realized that."  
  
[[Jessie - Is anyone there? Does anyone hear me?]]  
  
Jessie glanced at Eli, who was looking at the counter with interest. Rick's eyes were focused on her intently, awaiting her reaction. Jessie couldn't take that sappy caring look on her dad's face anymore and said, "Uh, yeah, Dad, I realized that."  
  
Rick smiled, pleased, and moved to the fridge, taking out Chinese takeout containers for supper. "It will be nice to actually sit down and actually talk to them. It might be fun, don't you think?"  
  
[[Jessie - Nice? Fun? No.... Doesn't anyone realize that? Anyone? Hello? HELLO???]]  
  
Jessie looked to Eli, hoping maybe he would see the truth in her eyes... maybe he would hear her, but Eli just looked back at her expressionless. Jessie sighed and gave in, "Okay."  
  
[[Jessie - *Silence*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"So, how about the two of us go shopping and then out to eat on Friday?" Karen asked her daughter as she pulled up in front of the junior high.  
  
Jessie had been unusually silent ever since Karen had picked her up from her father's last night. Karen knew something was bothering Jessie. She just hoped that Jessie would open up to her about it.  
  
"Dad has us Friday," Jessie reminded her mother, staring out the window.  
  
"Oh, right." Karen said with frustration. "Maybe Monday, then?"  
  
[[Karen - It's hard... difficult... dividing up time with your kids. Planning who has them when, and trying to fit your schedule around with his to make it work. Sometimes you forget what all the planning is about in the first place... it's about two beautiful kids.]]  
  
"I guess." Jessie agreed with any emotion. She began to open the car door, but stopped and looked at her mother. "Maybe Dad will let me be with you instead on Friday."  
  
There was something behind that statement, Karen knew it. She knew her daughter. There was something Jessie was on the verge of saying... if only Karen gave her one more push. "Don't you want to be with your father on Friday?"  
  
Jessie sighed, slumping back against the car seat. "We're going to The Mom's house."  
  
[[Karen - Oh...]]  
  
"The Mom... Lily?" Karen asked, remembering the woman she had met at the carnival. The woman who was now her ex-husband's latest girlfriend.  
  
"Yeah, and I don't think I can go, mom!" Jessie turned pleadingly. "I told Dad I would, but... I don't want to!"  
  
"Oh, honey.. you should talk to your father about this."  
  
"He wouldn't listen. He's too wrapped up in that Mom to care about me. And Eli's too wrapped up in Grace to care either." Jessie said, crossing her arms angrily.  
  
"Who's Grace?" Karen asked.  
  
"The Mom's daughter. I think Eli and her are dating... or almost dating." Jessie shrugged. "Whatever. Eli wants to go, and Dad wanted me to go too, and so I told him I would. But, mom, it's going to be horrible, I know it!"  
  
This was the first Karen had ever heard of any 'Grace'. "Are you sure Eli's seeing this girl... when your father is dating her mother?"  
  
[[Jessie - Hello? What about me? What about me?]]  
  
Jessie frowned and got out of the car.  
  
"Jessie!" Her mother called after her, but Jessie swung the door shut and continued towards the school. She had thought her mother might actually listen to her, but she was the same as her dad. All she cared about was Eli and Grace and if they were dating. But what about what Jessie felt? Didn't anyone care?  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace!"  
  
Grace turned at the sound of Eli's voice. "Hi."  
  
Eli shifted his lunch tray slightly, smiling at her. "How are you?"  
  
"Good. Did your dad tell you about Friday?" Grace asked, shifting her own lunch tray.  
  
"Yeah," Eli answered, then looked around. They were standing together near the front of the cafeteria. "Did you want to sit down somewhere?"  
  
"Yeah!" Grace said, cursing herself for sounding so excited. She followed Eli to a small table in the corner. After they sat down, Grace looked up at Eli.  
  
Eli looked back at her, "It's weird, huh? That our parents are getting so serious."  
  
Grace nodded, sipping her soda. "Totally. The next thing you know, they'll be getting married." Grace joked.  
  
"Yeah, and then we'd be stepbrother and stepsister," Eli joked too, but his voice fell flat as he realized what he was saying. It might happen. Their parents might actually get married. And that would make them..  
  
[[Eli - ...Stepsiblings? With Grace?...]]  
  
[[Grace - ... my step-BROTHER?...]]  
  
"So, what does your sister think of the Friday date?" Grace said quickly, trying to cover up the thoughtful silence.  
  
[[Grace - Oh, God. I just said "date"... I shouldn't have said that. It's not a date, not really. Well, for our parent's in a way... but Eli and I are just tagging along. It's nothing more than that... not with everyone else there too. If it was just me and Eli.... then... but it's not.]]  
  
"Jessie's fine with it," Eli answered after a pause. He was pretty sure she was, but Jessie had become hard to read lately. But why would Jessie have a problem with it?  
  
"Oh, look who it is... the loser and the tramp." Lisa said as she walked up to their table.  
  
Grace furrowed her brow and looked down at her lunch.  
  
"We know you're a loser and a tramp, Lisa. You don't have to tell us that." Eli said, staring back at the angry girl with anger of his own.  
  
Lisa made a little, "Tsssah" noise and walked away.  
  
"Bitch," Grace said aloud, surprising herself. She looked unsurely at Eli, but Eli was smiling.  
  
"Totally."  
  
Grace smiled back.  
  
* * * 


	12. Something to Worry About

~A Once and Again Series  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 12// Something to Worry About  
  
"Grace, could you set the table?" Lily asked her daughter on Friday evening as they stood by the dining room table.  
  
"Sure," Grace answered. Lily noticed she was in unusually good spirits and had been all week. Lily had begun to worry about her daughter and Eli again. Where they more than friends?  
  
[[Lily - I should be happy Grace is so happy... right? But instead, seeing so happy like this... and having a good guess to the reason behind her happiness... it's only making me more miserable.]]  
  
Grace headed into the kitchen. Lily watched her go, a thoughtful expression on her face. The doorbell rang, and Lily's head shot up as she looked over into the living room.  
  
"Aren't you going to answer it, mommy?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Yes, of course," Lily found her footing again and walked over to the front door. She glanced over her shoulder as she reached the door, and caught Grace watching eagerly from the doorway to the kitchen. Grace saw her mother noticing her, and she slunk back into the kitchen. Lily opened the door.  
  
"Hi!" Rick said cheerfully. He had one hand on Jessie's shoulder and one on Eli's. "Kids, you remember Lily, and Zoe," Rick said as Zoe stepped up next to her mother.  
  
"Hi," Eli said, and Lily noticed how he looked past her... looking for Grace, Lily knew.  
  
"Hi," Jessie echoed meekly.  
  
"Hi. It's so nice to see you two again," Lily greeted them, stepping back to let them in. "You can hang your coats up here."  
  
"Is Grace here?" Eli asked, looking around the living room.  
  
"Oh, she's setting the table," Lily informed him.  
  
"Eli, why don't you go help her?" Rick said to his son.  
  
Lily wanted to protest, but she kept telling herself instead that there was no reason for her to worry about Eli being alone with Grace. They were just friends, right? So, Lily reluctantly directed Eli to the kitchen. "Just head straight," She told him, pointing.  
  
Eli smiled, and headed off.. quite eagerly, Lily noticed.  
  
[[Lily - It's nothing....... right? They're just friends........................................ right?]]  
  
"Zoe, you remember Jessie, right?" Lily said as she noticed the two girls eyeing each other.  
  
"Yes. I like your hair," Zoe said, looking carefully at the girl she hoped to be friends with.  
  
[[Zoe - If my mom married her dad, she would be my sister. Isn't that cool?]]  
  
"Thanks," Jessie said, gently touching her hair, which was twirled up into a ponytail bun... like she had seen Grace's hair at the ice cream place.  
  
"Grace wears her hair like that sometimes," Zoe added.  
  
Jessie lost her smile, and shrugged.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace wanted to go out and greet them when they rang the doorbell, but something she saw in her mother's eyes stopped her. Her mother seemed to be watching her and evaluating her. Grace didn't know why, but all she knew was that in her mother's eyes Grace was failing.  
  
So instead Grace went back into the kitchen, carefully taking down her mother's good china plates. She was carrying them into the dining room when she saw Eli.  
  
"Hey," Eli greeted her.  
  
"Hi," Grace said, unable not to smile at him.  
  
[[Grace - He's, like, perfect in everyway. I still can't believe he actually is like, my friend... of sorts.]]  
  
Eli reached out and took the plates from her hands and set them around the table. When he was done he stood still and looked up at Grace. He really looked at her. He saw the way her light brown hair fell nicely around her pretty face, the way her black dress clung nicely to her curves, the way her full lips shone with a shiny lip gloss, the way her brown eyes were staring back at him... drinking him in.  
  
[[Eli - Grace is really pretty. Most people probably don't see that right away, but when you really look at her... you just have to appreciate her loveliness. And she's so nice, and funny...]]  
  
"Forks," Grace announced, breaking the long stare. "We still need forks and knifes..."  
  
Eli followed her into the kitchen. He watched as she opened a drawer and counted out the right number of forks and knifes.  
  
"Did I tell you about John?" Eli asked, searching for something to make her turn and look at him again. It worked, and her soulful eyes were back on him.  
  
"No... what about him?" Grace asked, even though she wasn't even sure what 'John' Eli was talking about.  
  
"He's starting a band. I'm thinking of joining." Eli said as he moved a foot closer to her, leaving only perhaps six inches between their bodies.  
  
"That sounds cool. Do you play the guitar?" Grace asked, barely able to speak with him so near to her. She felt her cheeks flushing with warmth as she continued to look deeply into his eyes. "I've always wanted to learn to play--"  
  
Eli leaned closer and his lips brushed lightly, and very briefly against hers. Then he pulled back, and Grace looked at him in wide-eyed wonder.  
  
[[Grace - ...he kissed me...]]  
  
[[Eli - ....I kissed her...]]  
  
[[Grace - ......HE KISSED ME..... *delighted gasp*]]  
  
[[Eli -......I KISSED HER.... *scratches head in wonder*]]  
  
[[Grace - *Big happy smile*]]  
  
[[Eli - *Pleased little half-smile*]]  
  
* * *  
  
Lily leaned in and kissed Rick briefly. She pulled away, and looked over at where Zoe and Jessie were sitting together uncomfortably on the couch. Lily looked over at the entrance to the kitchen, seeing no sign of Grace or Eli.  
  
"I should go check on the sauce," Lily told Rick... which was true. It was. And it also happened to give her a chance to check in on the two in the kitchen.  
  
"You do that," Rick said, sneaking in another kiss. Lily headed for the kitchen.  
  
She entered and saw Eli and Grace standing close together. Grace was clutching a jumble of forks and knifes in her hand. Grace's cheeks were flushed slightly, and she looked bubbling with excitement. Eli had a smile on his own face, too. The two of them looked over at Lily as she entered, with similar looks of guilt.  
  
[[Lily - ...I don't like this.... this isn't right....]]  
  
"Did you set the table?" Lily asked Grace, as she ignored the unhappy thoughts swirling in her head.  
  
"Almost," Grace said, and headed over to the dining room table. Eli smiled at Lily, and then quickly followed Grace. Lily went to the stove and stirred the bubbling sauce.  
  
[[Lily - Am I supposed to just let this happen?? Let them be together, when I'm dating his father?? When one day I'd like to be more than just dating his father?? ......Or... should I... *puts face in hands and makes a muffled scream.*]]  
  
* * *  
  
Jessie looked over as her brother and Grace entered the living room. She looked pleadingly at Eli, hoping he would sense how annoyed Jessie was by Zoe's constant chatter. But Eli seemed distracted. Jessie watched as he sat down in a chair, and saw how his eyes kept sneaking glances at Grace, who had sat down in the easy chair across from his.  
  
"And, so Grace told me that when you're eighteen, you can tattoos without your parent's permission. So, I'm going to get a tulip, and a zebra." Zoe said, and Jessie winced in annoyance.  
  
[[Jessie - The girl just won't shut up! She thinks I'm her new best friend or something.]]  
  
"A zebra?" Eli asked, joining the conversation. Jessie glared at her brother for encouraging Zoe to keep on talking, but Eli didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Because when you think of the letter Z, you think of zebras, and Zoe starts with a Z, so.."  
  
Zoe went on, but Jessie tuned her out. Instead, she followed Eli's frequent glances, and looked over at Grace. Grace was wearing a pretty black dress, and her hair was loose around her shoulders. She looked very pretty. Jessie looked down at her jeans and tee-shirt, and lightly touched her bun again, feeling that she had got it all wrong somehow.  
  
Grace herself, through Zoe's speech was sneaking glances up at Eli, occasionally catching him when he was glancing at her, and then they both would look away guiltily.  
  
[[Grace - Do you think he meant to kiss me? I know, you just don't ACCIDENTALLY kiss someone, but maybe... he thought I was someone else, or something...]]  
  
[[Eli - Why did I kiss her? I mean, she looked beautiful and everything, but why did I kiss her? I don't like her like that... or at least I don't think I do.... I don't know....]]  
  
Grace felt eyes on her and looked up to find Jessie staring intensely at her. Jessie looked away after their eyes met, and Grace was left feeling uneasy. That look in Jessie's eyes had been... odd... like she was jealous of Grace, but...  
  
[[Grace - Why would anyone be jealous of me? I'm no one special... I'm just Grace.]]  
  
"Okay, everything's ready," Rick announced as he and Lily entered the room. "How about we eat?"  
  
The troop of four kids gratefully got up from the couch and chairs and headed for the kitchen.  
  
* * * 


	13. Trying to Deal

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, sorry I've taken so long with this chapter. But, now here it is. Thanks so much for your reviews, you're keeping me going!  
  
Chapter 13//Trying to Deal  
Grace picked up her spoon with a sigh, and used it to swirl her lucky charms. Zoe sat across from her chattering about some birthday party she was going to later that Saturday. But Grace had other things on her mind.  
  
[[Grace - What does it mean if someone kisses you... and then doesn't say a word about it?]]  
  
"Grace!" Zoe complained. "You're not listening!"  
  
"Sure, I am," Grace argued.  
  
"So do you think it's a good present to give Dana?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Sure," Grace said, having no clue of what present Zoe was talking about.  
  
Zoe rolled her eyes, knowing that Grace hadn't heard anything she had been saying, but she was used to that. "I like Jessie, and Eli," Zoe said.  
  
This time Grace heard her. "Yeah, they're nice," Grace said blandly. She thought Eli was way more than just 'nice', but she couldn't say that to Zoe.  
  
"Zoe, aren't you dressed yet?" Lily asked as she came into the kitchen to find Zoe still in her pajamas. "Go get dressed, and then we'll stop at the mall for Dana's present before I take you over there."  
  
Zoe scampered away. Grace looked down into her mushy lucky charms again. She absentmindedly swirled her spoon in the white milk.  
  
[[Grace - He didn't say one word about it... what does that mean?! Ugh..... BOYS!]]  
  
Grace looked up again, and caught her mother's intense eyes on her. "What?" Grace snapped.  
  
"We should have a talk, Grace," Lily said. "About Eli..." Lily trailed off as Zoe came rushing into the kitchen.  
  
"I can't find my favorite blue dress!" Zoe cried, on the verge of tears. "I have to wear that dress, mom!"  
  
Lily gave Grace a final look, and said, "We'll talk later tonight." She turned to Zoe. "Alright, let's go check your room again. I'm sure it's there."  
  
Grace watched them exit the room, and then stood up and dumped her half-eaten cereal down the drain.  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli, have you seen my math book?" Jessie asked as she stood in the doorway of Eli's room at their father's apartment.  
  
"Why would I have seen your math book?" Eli asked in annoyance from his spot on his bed. He had been deep in thought before Jessie came in uninvited and started pestering him. He had been thinking about Grace, and last night... when he kissed her.  
  
[[Eli - What do I say to her? 'Hey, I know I kissed you, but I didn't mean anything by it...' Can you say that to someone? Is it even true? Was it really just a meaningless kiss? Was it? ....Grace... *pauses, thinking, then a smile spreads across his face* she has really nice lips...]]  
  
"Well, can you drive me over to Mom's then? I need my book." Jessie asked, breaking into Eli's thoughts.  
  
"Can't you get Dad to drive you?" Eli said, sitting up.  
  
"He's going on a date with Lily." Jessie said, crossing her thin arms across her chest.  
  
"Since when do you call her 'Lily'?" Eli asked in surprise.  
  
Jessie shrugged, "Since last night, I guess. Will you drive me?"  
  
"I guess." Eli stood up off his bed. "Who does homework on a Saturday, anyway, though?"  
  
"I do," Jessie snapped. "Just drive me, okay?"  
  
"Fine." Eli searched around for his shoes. Jessie had become a bit of a pain lately. Eli guessed she was becoming a moody teenager, but still, he hated dealing with it. He wanted his happy little sister back.  
  
* * *  
  
"Why, hello," Rick said, as Lily opened the passenger side car door and got in.  
  
"Hi, yourself," Lily said, looking back at the house to make sure Grace wasn't looking out the window and then allowed herself a deep long kiss from Rick. After they pulled apart, Lily smiled eagerly at him, "So where are we going?"  
  
"It's a surprise," Rick said, backing out of the driveway.  
  
Lily leaned back in her seat as he drove, content to have silence between them, as she had other thoughts in her head. It was time they had dealt with the Grace/Eli situation. Rick was clueless all last night, but Lily could see the looks Grace and Eli would give each other when they thought the other one was not looking. Something was happening there, and it had been nagging at Lily all last night and all this morning. It was time she dealt with it.  
  
[[Lily - Rick will have to see that we can't let them date... it's just not right... What if we got married? Then they'd be stepbrother and stepsister... and if they were dating, that would be wrong. So, we have to do something about this, right?]]  
  
"We're here," Rick said, and Lily looked out the window.  
  
"A hotel?" Lily asked with amusement. "This is our date?"  
  
"Well, we both had the kids today, so I thought we needed a private place to go. We can order room service and have lunch." Rick said, hoping she wasn't offended or angry with his idea.  
  
"That sounds nice," Lily said, and Rick thought she seemed distracted... not really there.  
  
Once they got up to the room, Rick found out what was on Lily's mind.  
  
"It's just Grace and Eli..." Lily explained after their lunch had been brought up and eaten. "It's just always on my mind."  
  
"What about Grace and Eli?" Rick asked in confusion, seeing the pain in Lily's eyes. Something about their children was really causing Lily hardship. But Rick didn't understand what it could be.  
  
"I think they're dating," Lily announced.  
  
Rick sat back in his chair, letting this sink in. "You really think that?"  
  
"Yes, it must be. Either they're dating, or they're about to date."  
  
"Okay, so our kids are interested in each other, but so what?" Rick asked gently, wanting to get to the bottom of this.  
  
Lily sighed, looking down at her empty plate. She looked back up. "Isn't weird? Isn't wrong that OUR kids are dating, when WE'RE dating?"  
  
"Well, it's weird, but I wouldn't say it's wrong," Rick said.  
  
Lily was surprised that he didn't seem to feel the same way she did about Eli and Grace. She thought... she didn't know what she had thought. But now she wondered if maybe it wasn't such a big deal after all. Rick didn't seem to think so... why should she? Lily was silent, as she pondered over this.  
  
Rick sat uncomfortably through her silence. He looked at the nicely made hotel bed, and thought with regret that this wasn't the date he had been hoping for.  
  
* * *  
  
"What are you doing in Mom's room?" Zoe asked.  
  
Grace jumped at the sound of her sister's voice. She looked to the doorway, guiltily. "Nothing. I'm just looking for her little brown book."  
  
Zoe entered the room, jumping on the bed.  
  
"What are you doing back anyways?" Grace asked, eyeing her sister, who was wrinkling her mother's nicely made bed. "I thought you were at the party."  
  
"I was, but then Dana got mad and threw a fit, and her mother sent us all home." Zoe explained.  
  
"Why did Dana get..." Grace started, but realized she didn't care. "Who drove you home?"  
  
"Erin's mom," Zoe answered. "I tried to call Dad, but he wasn't there."  
  
"You should have called Mom's cell," Grace said as she opened her mother's dresser drawer.  
  
"I didn't want to call her, when she's on a date! Rick is nice. I like him. Do you like him?" Zoe asked, watching Grace go through their mother's things. "What if he and mom got married! That would be soooo cool! And Dad could marry Tiffany, and everyone would be happy! I like Tiffany, don't you?"  
  
Grace didn't even bother to answer.  
  
Zoe continued, "But Tiffany doesn't have any kids. At least, I don't think she does. Rick has kids. And if he and Mom married, they'd be our brother and sister!"  
  
"STEP-brother, and STEP-sister," Grace corrected angrily. She held the brown leather book in her hand.  
  
"What do you want with that?" Zoe asked, not noticing, or not caring about Grace's anger.  
  
"I have to call someone," Grace said, clutching the book tightly.  
  
"You have to call someone who's in MOM's book?" Zoe asked in puzzlement. "Are you calling Grandma and Grandpa?"  
  
"No. It's none of your business," Grace said, walking past her sister and out the door. She got the cordless phone from the kitchen and went up to her room to make the call.  
  
With annoyance she found Zoe sitting on her bed when she entered the room. "Get out!" Grace ordered.  
  
"Who are you calling?" Zoe said, ignoring Grace's order.  
  
"No one!" Grace cried. "Now, get out!"  
  
[[Zoe - Grace is a brat! If Jessie was my sister, that would be cool. She wouldn't be so mean to me all the time.]]  
  
Zoe reluctantly exited the room. Grace closed the door firmly behind her. She sat on her bed and opened her mother's phone book. She quickly found Rick Sammler's name, ignoring the cutesy red heart her mother had drawn next to it, and dialed the number quickly, before she had time to stop herself.  
  
[[Grace - He's probably not even there. He's probably at his mom's or at some girl's house...]]  
  
"Hello?" Came Eli's voice, slightly out of breath, like he had just got in the door.  
  
Grace's mouth dropped open, but no words came out.  
  
"Hello?" Eli repeated. Grace heard Jessie's voice in the background, asking who it was.  
  
Grace hit the end button on the phone and took a deep breath. She had chickened out. She had thought she could do it, but then... Grace sighed, and copied down the Sammler's number onto a scrap of paper.  
  
[[Grace - I'll call later... I will! Now is just not the right time... *bits lip nervously*... later will be better.]]  
  
* * * 


	14. Flipping Sides

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 14// Flipping Sides  
"Grace? Zoe?" Lily asked as she entered the house later that day. "Is anyone here?"  
  
Silence greeted her. Lily set the bag of Chinese takeout on the counter and proceeded up the stairs. At Grace's door she stopped and knocked, but no response. Lily opened the door, "Grace?"  
  
Grace sat with her back to her, her headphones on. Lily called out again, but got no response and so moved closer, and tapped Grace on the shoulder. Grace straightened up with a jerk and turned around.  
  
"Mom!" Grace cried as she slipped her headphones off her ears. "You scared me."  
  
"Is Zoe home? I got Chinese food." Lily said.  
  
"No, she's at Dana's." Grace told her mother.  
  
"She's STILL over there?" Lily asked in confusion. "I told her to call me when the party finished, but she never called. I thought she must have gotten a ride with someone else."  
  
"No... I mean, she did come home earlier; Erin's mom gave her a ride. Dana's mother sent the girls home, early for some reason. And then Dana called and wanted Zoe and some of the other girls to come back. Erin's mom just picked her up again. She'll be back around eight." Grace explained.  
  
Lily took this all in and let out a deep breath. "So how was your day?"  
  
Grace shrugged, and began to pull on her headphones again. "It was fine."  
  
Lily reached out and gently removed the headphones from Grace's head. "Come on and eat. I got your favorite."  
  
Grace grudgingly followed her mother down to the kitchen. She piled some food on a plate, watching her mother out of the corner of her eye. Earlier her mother had said she wanted to talk about 'Eli'... Grace dreaded what was coming.  
  
They sat at the table, just the two of them. Lily asked her about school and her classes, and finally Grace couldn't take it anymore. "Mom, you said earlier that you wanted to talk about Eli." She said, wanting to just get it done with.  
  
"Oh!" Lily said, surprised. She had completely forgotten about that.  
  
[[Lily - Funny isn't it? How one moment, you feel like you have this incredible weight on you... and you feel like you HAVE to do something about it, or you'll just explode. And then, later... it doesn't seem to matter as much. How can you just flip sides like that?]]  
  
"So, what did you want to say?" Grace asked, expecting the worse.  
  
[[Grace - She's going to tell me that I can't date him... I know it. I saw the look in her eyes when she entered the kitchen and saw us standing together. She doesn't like it. For some reason, she doesn't want me to be as happy as she is. I guess it's the whole Eli being Rick's son thing, but that's no big deal. Can't she see that? ..........Besides, it's not like something is going to happen between me and Eli.]]  
  
"Oh, it was nothing, sweetheart," Lily said, surprising her daughter. "How's the chicken?"  
  
"Good," Grace said with a smile, and began eating with a real appetite.  
  
[[Grace - Sometimes my mother is... decent. *smile* It's nice.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, Eli!" Kevin called out Monday morning as Eli walked towards him in the hallway. "How was your weekend?"  
  
"Fine," Eli said. He looked briefly at Kevin, but then found his eyes drifting past him to the students walking past them in the hallway. He was keeping an eye out for Grace.  
  
[[Eli - I should have called her this weekend... or something. But, I just couldn't. I just didn't know what to say. She didn't call me or anything either, though....]]  
  
"How was the thing with The Mom's family?" Kevin asked, and Eli regretted that he ever told his friend about it.  
  
"It was fine," Eli said.  
  
"Oh come on," Kevin said, knowing that Eli wasn't telling the truth.  
  
"It was weird," Eli expanded. It was the truth. Him kissing Grace had been weird. Him sitting through an uncomfortable dinner, thinking about his kiss with Grace, had been weird.  
  
Kevin nodded, "Just think, they might be your step-family some day."  
  
Eli grimaced at that idea, but not for the reason Kevin thought he was, but because he couldn't deal with the idea of Grace as his step- sister.  
  
[[Eli - I have to talk to her. I can't just leave it like this.]]  
  
And just that moment, Eli caught the sight of Grace walking past. "Grace!" Eli called out loudly and desperately, surprising Kevin who looked at his friend in puzzlement. Eli didn't bother explaining to Kevin... let him think what he wanted to think. Eli had to talk to Grace.  
  
Grace turned, and her brown eyes cut into him sharply. Eli lost all words as he looked into her hurt eyes.  
  
[[Eli - I did that. I was the one who caused her pain... I'm an idiot.]]  
  
Grace waited for him to speak, but Eli was mute.  
  
The bell rang, and Grace nodded sadly. So this was how it was going to be. She turned away in disgust, and headed for her class.  
  
[[Grace - *tearful* He doesn't even care!]]  
  
Eli watched her go in agony. He wanted to call after her, but was afraid she wouldn't listen.  
  
[[Eli - Why am I such an idiot? God... *leans back and shakes head* I manage to screw up everything!]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Mom, can we have dinner with Rick and his family again, this Friday?" Zoe was asking later that day as Grace entered the car after school.  
  
Lily glanced back at Grace briefly, and then said to Zoe in the passenger seat. "Maybe, honey. I'll ask Rick. So, you really like them, huh?"  
  
"Yeah... they're really nice," Zoe said.  
  
"Mom?" Grace broke in from the backseat as Lily began to drive away from the high school.  
  
"Yeah, Grace?" Lily asked.  
  
"If you're going to be setting up more of these 'happy little family' dinners, then I want out." Grace said firmly.  
  
Lily looked back at her in surprise. She had thought that Grace would be happy to get together with Eli again. But once again, her daughter was surprising her with her sudden change of mood. "Grace?" Lily questioned.  
  
"I just don't want to do it anymore," Grace said, looking out the window. "It's stupid."  
  
"It's not stupid!" Zoe insisted from the front seat. "I thought it was fun! ...Mom, I was thinking next time, we could have it at Chuckee Cheese's! I think Jessie would go there, even if Grace thinks it is childish!"  
  
"Zoe, we'll see... Maybe we should give it more time before getting together with them." Lily said. She hoped that maybe if she gave Grace time, she'd get over whatever was bugging her this week.  
  
Zoe's eyes squinted up with disappointment and she looked away. Lily looked in the rearview mirror and saw that at least Grace seemed happy with that idea. But no matter how hard she tried, Lily could never please both of her daughters.  
  
* * * 


	15. Contemplating Niceness

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 15//Contemplating Niceness  
  
"Eli!"  
  
Eli turned quickly at the sound of a female voice calling out to him. And his face fell in disappointment as he saw it was just Cassidy. He had been hoping... well, he had been wishing it was Grace. But, no such luck. Ever since that small silent encounter earlier in the week, he hadn't seen Grace at all. And Eli didn't know whether to call her or not, because he just didn't know what to say.  
  
"Eli! You weren't at the party at Joe's last Friday!" Cassidy said loudly, reminding Eli she was still there.  
  
Eli broke out of his daze and looked at the pretty blond. "I had other plans," Eli said quietly. A brief flash of him brushing his lips against Grace's flashed in his head. Eli's thoughts began to drift back to Grace.  
  
"Eli!" Cassidy said again, breaking insistently into his thoughts. "What are you doing tonight?"  
  
"Tonight?" Eli repeated, giving himself time to think. This morning he had woke up, thinking that today was the day he'd clear the air with Grace. Grace was a strong girl, she could take the truth... the kiss had just meant nothing. Eli just had to tell her that. It sounded so easy, this morning, but now Eli once again felt like it was too hard. He felt that once again, he should put it off for another day.  
  
[[Eli - Maybe she'll forget... if I just don't say anything about it. Maybe....... uh, maybe not.]]  
  
"Yeah, I'm having a little get-together, OKAY, a party at my house, and I want you to come!" Cassidy grabbed onto his shirt sleeve. "You HAVE to come, Eli! I need you to come! It would mean SO much to me!"  
  
Eli felt himself craving in. He couldn't resist Cassidy's overwhelming energy. In fact, it had only been last year, before he got with Jen, that Eli had had a crush on Cassidy. She was really cute. "Okay," Eli found himself agreeing.  
  
"Great! It's starts seven! But, you could come early. I could use some help with the food and stuff," Cassidy gave Eli a lingering look with her big blue eyes.  
  
"Yeah, okay," Eli gave in again.  
  
"Great!" Cassidy gave Eli one of her winning smiles. "I'll see you later then!"  
  
"Bye," Eli said, his voice thoughtful.  
  
[[Eli - Cassidy is cute. She's always so happy. I don't think she's ever mad at ANYONE.... I don't think she could ever hate a person. It's nice.]]  
  
"Bye!" Cassidy walked slowly away from him, glancing back over her shoulder, making sure he was watching her walk away.  
  
* * *  
  
"I HATE HIM!" Grace said, slamming her gym locker shut.  
  
"Who?" Julie asked. She caught Grace's look of annoyance. "Oh, you mean Eli."  
  
"Of course him!" Grace said. She had confided in her friend about her and Eli's kiss... and of Eli's failure to say anything about it to her... or to even talk to her for the past week.  
  
[[Grace - I'm I stupid to expect more of Eli? I mean, I've only known him for a little while... but I thought I KNEW him, you know? I didn't think he's just kiss me like that, and pretend it never happened!]]  
  
"Grace, he's ELI! He's popular, and everything. I don't think the kiss meant anything. I mean, your parents are dating and everything, and it would be WEIRD for you and him to date." Julie said as gently as she could.  
  
Grace groaned. She sank to the bench in front of the lockers with a sigh. "I just thought Eli..." Grace cut off her words as she noticed a girl who had just entered the locker room looking over at them.  
  
The girl smiled nicely at her, and Grace tried to place her as the girl walked over.  
  
"Hi, I'm Cassidy!" The girl announced.  
  
[[Grace - *looks confused* Cassidy?]]  
  
Grace and Julie stared at the girl, Cassidy, in surprise. They both could tell the girl must be either a sophomore or a junior, and yet she was talking to them, two unknown freshman. Julie, always eager to find her way into popularity, spoke up first, "Hi, I'm Julie."  
  
"I'm Grace," Grace told Cassidy. Grace couldn't stop herself from asking, "Did you want something?"  
  
Cassidy laughed cheerfully, throwing back her blond hair, "Oh, sorry! I just heard you say Eli's name, and there's only one Eli in this school... so are you two friends with him?"  
  
"I'm not... but Grace is," Julie announced, and Grace glared at her friend.  
  
"I wouldn't call it 'friends'," Grace said angrily. She nudged Julie with her elbow. Julie just rolled her eyes at her friend. Grace noticed Cassidy still watching them, and said quickly, "His dad is dating my mom, that's it."  
  
"Oh!" Cassidy smiled sweetly. "Right! There was that rumor about you and Eli, but it was actually about your parents, right! And there were those other rumors, too. That's why the name was so familiar!"  
  
[[Grace - Oh... I can't believe she brought up the rumors! Ugh!]]  
  
Grace shifted uneasily as Cassidy talked. The mention of 'rumors' still made her feel nervous and sick to her stomach. It wasn't so long ago that the rumors had been ruining her life. She looked to Julie, hoping her friend would want to leave this Cassidy as much as she did, but Julie's eyes were filled with ambitions of popularity.  
  
"I really like your shirt," Julie said to Cassidy.  
  
"Oh, thanks!" Cassidy looked down at her pink shirt and smiled at Julie. "That's so nice! I like your shirt!"  
  
"Thanks!" Julie said, her voice becoming just as energetic as Cassidy's.  
  
"Hey, did you two want to come to my party tonight?" Cassidy asked generously.  
  
"Yeah!" Julie said with a huge smile. "That'd be cool!"  
  
"Great!" Cassidy said, clapping her hands together. She looked at Grace, who was silent. "You're coming too, right?"  
  
"Uh.." Grace did want to spend her night at some pretty popular girl's house.  
  
[[Grace - Cassidy? What kind of name is that? It's like... weird. She's like... weird. I mean, how can someone be THAT happy? It's just NOT possible.]]  
  
"I'm sure Eli would be glad if his friend came!" Cassidy said, encouraging Grace.  
  
Grace felt even less like going if Eli was going to be there, but Julie stepped in for her. "Of course, Grace is going!" Julie announced.  
  
"Oh, goodie! Here's my address. I'll see you girls tonight!" Cassidy handed them a small pink square of paper that said:  
  
PARTY at Cassidy's!!!!  
  
Be there after 7!!!  
  
Lots of fun, bring a friend!!!!  
  
317 N. Crestfield Dr.  
  
[[Grace - *is holding the party invitation, looks at it with a frown* Even her invitation is overly cheerful. *makes a noise of disgust*]]  
  
"Bye, Cass!" Julie called after the girl.  
  
Grace turned on her friend, "Cass?"  
  
Julie shrugged. "She seems nice."  
  
"She seems fake... no one can be THAT nice," Grace said.  
  
"So are you going?" Julie asked, looking over the invitation.  
  
"I don't know." Grace answered with a sigh.  
  
* * *  
  
"Here, how about we just move this here, and put this over here..." Eli said as he rearranged a few items on the kitchen table.  
  
"Perfect!" Cassidy said. She moved closer to him, and Eli could smell the faint scent of strawberry. Cassidy put a hand on Eli's upper arm. "Thanks so much for helping!"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing," Eli said, looking up from the food table into Cassidy's eyes. "Anything for a friend."  
  
Cassidy frowned for a quick second, or maybe Eli only imagined it, because her smile was back just as quick and just as strong. She moved to the kitchen counter and picked up a stack of paper plates. "Do we have room for these too?"  
  
"Uh, sure," Eli said, sifting some bowls and plates, and cleared a spot. "There you go."  
  
Cassidy set down the plates. She looked up over at Eli, carefully studying his profile as he was busy opening a bag of chips. She paused, her smile fading for a moment, but as Eli looked over at her, it was back on. "Did I tell you? I invited your friend, Grace Manning?"  
  
Eli was silent. He poured the bag of chips into a bowl and threw the empty bag into a trashcan.  
  
[[Eli - *is silent, looks at camera, then off to the side, and then down at the floor*]]  
  
"She is your friend, right? Oh, I thought she was!" Cassidy said, getting upset, "I heard her talking about you in the locker room. Oh, I'm sorry, Eli! She said she was friends with you, but I guess girls like her tend to lie."  
  
"Girls like her?" Eli asked, finding his voice.  
  
"Oh, you know! Girls who are desperate for attention! I mean, look at the rumors she was spreading about herself. The girl wants to be popular so bad, so I felt bad for her. So, I invited her... oh, Eli, I can have someone tell her she's uninvited when she arrives, if you want." Cassidy said.  
  
"No, don't do that," Eli said. "I am friends with her, sort of..."  
  
"Oh, good!" Cassidy said, her smile coming back with full force. "I should have never invited her in the first place though... she just doesn't belong with OUR crowd. But I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl."  
  
"Yeah..." Eli said, just to get off the topic of Grace. He headed into the living room with a bowl of chips, feeling Cassidy's eyes following his every movement.  
  
[[Eli - Grace... desperate for attention? Wanting to be popular? *shakes head* No, that's not Grace. She's different.... she's separate from these other high school girls. She's just not like them. It's... it's a good thing.]]  
  
* * * 


	16. Making my own Choices

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, all, thanks for reading, as always. Oh, by the way, I did "steal" the Cassidy character from season one... she was the girl who Eli and Jennifer broke up over. I'm not sure what I'll do with her yet, so don't get too worried. Anyways.  
  
Chapter 16//Making my own Choices  
  
"My mom would never let me go, anyways," Grace said as she watched Julie go through Grace's closet. "You know there's not going to be any parents there, and my mom is a freak about those things."  
  
Julie took out a dark blue sweater and held it up against her. She looked at Grace quizzically. Grace nodded her approval. "Besides, I don't think I could face Eli... not in front of a whole bunch of other people," Grace continued.  
  
[[Grace - I don't know what I'm doing. I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to be doing. Life doesn't come with instructions. I've got to find my own way through this mess... but it's so hard.]]  
  
"You probably won't even run into him," Julie insisted, as she took the sweater off the hanger and slipped it over her head. "How does it look?"  
  
"You're a whole size smaller than me!" Grace reminded her friend.  
  
"It doesn't look bad, though," Julie said as she stood in front of the mirror. "I'm just sick of all my clothes! And if Kevin's there, then I want to look really good."  
  
"Don't tell me you're still hung up on Kevin!" Grace cried. She stood up off her bed and joined Julie at her closet.  
  
"Well, he isn't going out with anyone. I thought he broke up with me for Shelley, but she's dating Brad now, so..." Julie began fixing her hair.  
  
"So you'd take him back, even after he dumped you," Grace finished for her friend.  
  
Julie scrunched up her nose, "Yeah, so?"  
  
"Nothing, I guess... if that's what you want to do," Grace said, pulling a black shirt out of her closet.  
  
"It's what I want to do," Julie said firmly. "I don't see you taking any chances!"  
  
"What?" Grace asked in surprise.  
  
[[Grace - I take chances! I do... or maybe I just used to. Did I stop taking chances? When did that change?]]  
  
"All you talk about is Eli... and he finally kisses you, and you won't even talk to him about it!" Julie explained.  
  
"It's not like that!" Grace insisted. "He's the one who won't talk to me!"  
  
"Have you given him any chances to talk to you?" Julie asked, and when Grace stayed silent, added, "Just go to the party, and go up to him... and see what happens!"  
  
Grace bit her lower lip lightly. Could she do that? Would she do that? Julie looked over at her, waiting for her decision. Grace held the black shirt up against her body, "How about this shirt for tonight?"  
  
Julie let out a small squeal, "Alright, Grace!"  
  
Grace smiled briefly, then her worried thoughts took over. She was actually going to do this.  
  
* * *  
  
"Where's Grace?" Zoe asked later that night, as she entered the kitchen.  
  
Lily looked up from the newspaper. "Oh, she's spending the night at Julie's."  
  
Zoe smiled, "So, can we have dinner with Rick and Jessie after all?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, Zoe. They probably have plans already." Lily said, looking over at her daughter's eager face.  
  
"Please!" Zoe begged. "We could go to Chuckee Cheese's!"  
  
"Let me call Rick," Lily gave in. She picked up the phone from the table, and caught Zoe's happy smile. "But they still might have plans, honey."  
  
"I know," Zoe insisted, but as Lily turned her back, Zoe grinned wider and spun in a delighted circle.  
  
[[Zoe - Jessie is SO cool. She's nice, and she's SO not like Grace! I hope she becomes my sister someday!]]  
  
"Rick? Oh, hi Eli," Lily said into the phone. "How are you?.... That's good.... is Rick there?... okay."  
  
Zoe waited impatiently behind her mother.  
  
"Hi! ...Good.... Yeah, Zoe and I were just wondering if you and Jessie had plans for tonight... okay... really?... yeah, okay.... We were thinking of going to Chuckee Cheese's."  
  
Zoe clasped her hands together in joy. She listened intently to her mother's conversation.  
  
"Yeah, how about 6:30ish?.... Great, great... we'll see you then. Bye," Lily hung up the phone and looked at Zoe. "They're coming over at 6:30ish."  
  
Zoe let out a happy squeal and raced out of the kitchen. She had to find something to wear!  
  
* * *  
  
Lily went back to reading the paper. A few minutes after her conversation with Rick, the phone rang. Lily picked it up, "Hello?"  
  
"Hey," Jake's voice greeted her. "Susan said you've been trying to reach me."  
  
"Yeah, I have, Jake. For the past week!" Lily said, anger flowing through her body. "But apparently you're too busy with this Tiffany to care about what I have to say."  
  
"Hey! Don't bring Tiffany into this!" Jake cried.  
  
Lily sighed, looking up to make sure Zoe wasn't in the room. "Jake, I wanted to talk to you about this in person, but that hasn't happened, so... I think we should get started on... getting a divorce."  
  
[[Lily - *throws hands up* I didn't want to do it like this, but he gave me no choice. He's never given me a choice.]]  
  
"Lily... Lily! Can't we talk about this... some other time."  
  
"Jake, there's nothing to talk about. We both know this is what we have to do."  
  
"Is this about... Rick?" Jake asked angrily.  
  
"No, Jake, this is about YOU and ME. It's not about Rick, it's not about Tiffany, it's not about Grace or Zoe... it's about US! It's time we finished this, Jake. It's time we got divorced," Lily said firmly.  
  
"I'll come over after I finish up at the restaurant tonight, Lily. We'll talk about this then."  
  
"No, I've got plans," Lily said, and she heard Zoe's feet coming down the stairs. "Naomi told me about a great mediator... it's cheaper than lawyers. I'll set up a meeting."  
  
"Lily...." Jake began, but Lily cut him off.  
  
"I've got to go, Jake," Lily hung up the phone and looked at her daughter who had just entered the kitchen.  
  
Zoe put her hands on her hips and modeled the colorful outfit she had chosen. "What do you think?"  
  
"It's beautiful, honey."  
  
* * *  
  
"What am I doing?" Grace asked nervously after she and Julie got out of Julie's older sister's car. Julie waved to her sister as she drove away.  
  
"You're going to have fun... and maybe talk to Eli," Julie reminded her friend.  
  
"But what if my mom calls your house?" Grace asked as she looked at the house in front of them.  
  
[[Grace - That's so something my mom would do... call and check up on me, like I'm some ten-year old... I'm almost 15... well, 14 and a half. But, still, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions. But, she treats me like a child... like Zoe.]]  
  
"She won't!" Julie said surely. Grace wished she had her friend's confidence. "Come on, it'll be fun!"  
  
Grace reluctantly trailed after her friend, and they entered the loud, crowded house.  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli! Eli!" Cassidy said, grabbing onto his arm. "I thought you left!"  
  
"No, I've been around," Eli answered, shouting over the music. Cassidy pulled him out of the living room and they entered the kitchen, which was slightly quieter.  
  
"Thanks so much, for everything, Eli! My party is a huge success, thanks to you!" Cassidy smiled up at him, and Eli nervously shifted.  
  
[[Eli - What am I doing? Why did I ever agree to help Cassidy? Why did I come here?]]  
  
"Here, have a beer!" Cassidy shoved a can at him. She looked at him and waited.  
  
Eli opened the top, only planning on sipping it. He didn't feel like losing control over himself tonight. He was afraid of what he might do. But, then he looked at Cassidy's sparkling eyes, and found himself downing the whole thing.  
  
Cassidy replaced the can with a full one, and took one for herself. "Did you want to go upstairs? You can see my bedroom."  
  
Eli contemplated her offer, putting the full can to his lips.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi Kevin," Julie said casually as she and Grace ran into him.  
  
"Hi," Kevin said, his eyes looking over Julie. "How have you've been?"  
  
"Okay," Julie said, staring deeply into Kevin's eyes. Kevin stared back.  
  
Grace backed away from the two of them, and fought her way towards the kitchen. She seriously thought of calling Judy to come pick her up. Judy would understand, and not say anything to her mother. Or at least Grace hoped she would. This party was a stupid idea... Grace hadn't even seen Eli, and earlier she had heard a group of girls giggling over those stupid rumors about herself. All in all, it was a bad night so far. And now that Julie had found Kevin, Grace doubted that she'd want to leave.  
  
Grace entered the kitchen, seeing first the table full of food, and then the open coolers next to it... filled with beer. She looked away guility, uneased by the encounter with the alcohol. She should have known there would be beer here, but she just didn't think about it. Grace's eyes landed on a familiar face.  
  
Cassidy, looking pretty in a dark blue dress that was really low cut. Cassidy moved sideways, and Grace saw who she was talking to... Eli.  
  
[[Grace - of course...]]  
  
And Eli had an opened beer in his hand. As Grace watched them, Eli put the beer can to his mouth and drank. Grace turned, and tried to exit the kitchen, but a group just entering blocked her way.  
  
"Hey, you're Grace, right?" A guy Grace didn't really recognize asked loudly.  
  
"Yeah," Grace said, knowing that Eli had probably heard that. She snuck a glance over at where Cassidy and Eli had been standing and found Eli's eyes on her.  
  
"I'm Mark Jenson. I'm in your English class," The guy told her. "You're smart!"  
  
"Uh, thanks," Grace said, looking for a way out of the kitchen.  
  
"Did you want a beer?" Mark asked, reaching into the cooler. Grace looked over quickly at Eli again, but he was looking at Cassidy.  
  
"Sure," Grace answered, surprising herself.  
  
Mark put the dripping beer can in her hand, and Grace held it awkwardly.  
  
"Did you want to go downstairs?" Mark asked.  
  
[[Grace - Downstairs??]]  
  
Grace looked over at Eli. Eli had been looking at her, but looked away when their eyes caught.  
  
"Uh, what's downstairs?" Grace asked, feeling like a fool.  
  
"Oh, just a pool table and a TV and stuff... it will be quieter," Mark smiled at her, and Grace noticed that he was really good looking, in his own way.  
  
[[Grace - Sometimes I don't know why I do the things I do... I just feel like I have to prove something to my mother, to my father... to Eli. And usually, it comes back and bites me on the butt... *slightly tearful* but I do it anyways...]]  
  
"Okay," Grace agreed.  
  
* * * 


	17. In a New Light

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 17//In a New Light  
  
"Hey Jessie!" Zoe called as she opened the door to Rick and Jessie.  
  
"Hi Jessie. Hi you..." Lily said as she walked up to the group.  
  
Jessie looked away as her father gave Lily a quick kiss. Zoe grabbed onto her hand, "Come on! You've got to see the new posters I put up in my room."  
  
Jessie looked up at her father, but Rick just nodded at her. Jessie reluctantly let Zoe lead her up to her room.  
  
Lily and Rick watched them go, before turning back to each other and sharing a longer kiss.  
  
"They're really cute together, huh?" Lily asked as they parted.  
  
"They sure are. Almost like sisters," Rick said, his eyes twinkling happily.  
  
* * *  
  
Jessie sat down on Zoe's bed. She looked around at the small room.  
  
"This one I got last year... oh, and here's the one I got on Saturday," Zoe said, pointing at a poster of horses.  
  
Jessie looked at it briefly. She picked up Zoe's stuffed bear from the bed. "So... is Grace around?" Jessie asked after a pause.  
  
"No. She's at her friend Julie's. Which is good, because if she was here, we wouldn't be doing this with you guys. Grace doesn't want to do anymore get togethers... she's a pain." Zoe said, hopping up next to Jessie on the bed.  
  
Jessie put down the bear with a small frown.  
  
[[Jessie - *shrugs* I don't care. I don't even know her. Everyone thinks she's great, though... Eli is always talking about her, and my dad says she's really smart...... *long pause, looks up, a hopeful expression on her face* Wouldn't it be cool to have a older sister?]]  
  
"And Grace hates Chuckee Cheese's!" Zoe added.  
  
"She does?" Jessie asked.  
  
"Yeah, she says it's too childish. I think she just doesn't know how to have fun!" Zoe giggled. "All she ever does anymore is talk on the phone about your brother. It's so annoying. I think she's in LOVE with him."  
  
Jessie stood up. Zoe watched her walk to the door in surprise. Jessie said over her shoulder, "I'm going to get something to drink."  
  
Zoe bolted up and followed her. "We have orange soda, and Coca Cola, because Grace doesn't like Pepsi. I like Pepsi, but my mom always buys what Grace likes. Grace says it's because she's older, but I think it's just because she's spoiled...."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, do you want to play pool?" Grace asked as she and Mark walked past the pool table in the basement.  
  
"Nah," Mark said, he grabbed onto Grace's hand and led her further into the basement.  
  
"It's kind of dark down here," Grace said, looking around.  
  
"Shhhh!" Someone spoke up from a dark corner. Grace looked over and could make out two figures entwined together near the wall. She looked away quickly.  
  
"Maybe we should just go back upstairs," Grace said nervously. "I... I'm thirsty."  
  
Mark stopped walking. They were in the far corner of the basement. No one else was nearby, only a few other couples were down here. Mark sat down on an old sofa. He held up two beers, "Problem solved."  
  
Grace sat down and took her beer from his hand. She stared at it with unsureness. She heard Mark pop the top on his, and Grace followed suit.  
  
[[Grace - I don't even like beer. It's disgusting.]]  
  
Grace put the beer to her mouth and sipped it. She managed not to cringe at the bitter taste in her mouth.  
  
Mark had finished his beer and set the empty can on the floor. He put one hand on Grace's upper leg. Grace looked down at it uneasily, and tipped the beer to her mouth again.  
  
[[Grace - What am I doing? Just because Eli's up there, drinking with that girl, Cassidy doesn't mean I should... be doing this... I don't even know him...]]  
  
"Grace, you're really pretty," Mark said, taking the beer from her hand and setting it on the floor alongside his.  
  
"Oh, thanks," Grace answered, looking at the stairs. "Um, I should..."  
  
Mark moved in, using his hand to guide her mouth to his. He kissed her.  
  
[[Grace - My second kiss... *looks up at the ceiling, pauses, and then looks back at camera* I haven't even dealt with my first kiss and now I'm kissing this other guy...]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli, so, did you want to go upstairs?" Cassidy asked impatiently.  
  
Eli sighed, setting down his empty beer can. Why had he let himself drink? And seeing Grace go downstairs with that jerk Mark...  
  
[[Eli - Grace is a strong girl. That's just something I noticed about her. She doesn't seem as fragile as the rest of them.... so she'll be okay, right?]]  
  
"You know what I want to do?" Eli said, looking at Cassidy.  
  
"What?" Cassidy said seductively, her eyebrows arching invitingly.  
  
"I want to play pool. You still have that pool table downstairs, right?" Eli asked.  
  
"Yeah, we do..." Cassidy shrugged, "Okay." She led the way down the stairs to the dim basement. When they neared the pool table, Cassidy reached out and moved closer to Eli.  
  
Eli backed away, "Cassidy?"  
  
"Yes?" Cassidy asked, moving closer again, and Eli realized she was trying to kiss him.  
  
"I really did want to play pool," Eli said, to stop her. Cassidy looked at him in surprise.  
  
"Oh!" Cassidy giggled, "Oh, I thought... sure, let's play pool!"  
  
Eli looked around the murky basement, while Cassidy racked the pool balls. He could hear the faint murmur of people talking, but he couldn't see them that well. He saw a dark shadow that looked like it could be Grace, and found himself moving towards her.  
  
"Eli?" Cassidy questioned.  
  
Eli kept walking. He got a few feet away from the sofa, but then he still couldn't make out the faces, because the couple was too busy kissing. Eli turned, thinking it couldn't be Grace, when he heard a familiar voice speak up.  
  
"I really should go..."  
  
Eli looked back, and now he saw it was indeed Grace.  
  
[[Eli - ...So, she was kissing someone else? It's... no big deal. She can do what she wants... I just don't think Mark is the right guy for her.]]  
  
"Uh, come on, Grace," Mark pleaded. "We were having fun."  
  
Grace stood up, and she looked around, seeing Eli. She stood up taller and walked past Eli with her head held high, not looking at him.  
  
"Grace!" Mark called after her.  
  
Eli followed Grace, "Grace!"  
  
Cassidy watched Eli hurrying past her, after the trail of Grace. "Eli!"  
  
* * *  
  
Eli lost Grace in the crowd upstairs. He found himself surrounded suddenly by a group of his friends, all heavily liquored up. Cassidy caught up with him, and began pulling on his arm, trying to get him to talk with her. Eli groaned. "I've got to get some air," He told his friends. "It was a great, party, Cassidy. I'll see you on Monday," He said to Cassidy.  
  
Cassidy looked up at him, her blue eyes lined with disappointment. Eli looked away, and found his way to the front door. Eli opened the door, breathing in the fresh air. He walked down to his father's car, suddenly all too aware of the alcohol in his system.... he couldn't drive in this condition.  
  
Eli sighed, slumping down to sit on the curb. He put his head in his hands and wondered what he should do. When he looked up, he saw a familiar figure walking across the street.  
  
"Grace!" Eli called, standing up and crossing the street.  
  
Grace looked back, but didn't slow her pace.  
  
[[Grace - *rolls eyes* My prince charming, coming to rescue me! I don't NEED to be rescued... I'm fine.]]  
  
Eli caught up to her by jogging a bit. "It's cold, you shouldn't be walking home."  
  
Grace stopped walking and looked over at him coldly, "Yeah, and who's going to give me a ride? You?"  
  
"I would... but I..." Eli stammered.  
  
"You're drunk," Grace said superiorly.  
  
"Yeah," Eli agreed. "You were drinking too," He said in defensive.  
  
"A few sips," Grace admitted. She lost her patronizing look and sighed. "Do you have a cell phone?"  
  
"No. Who are you going to call?" Eli asked.  
  
"My aunt... she would come pick me up... but she would probably tell my mother," Grace bit down on her lower lip and her eyes grew shiny with tears. She threw up her hands in the air, "But I don't really have a choice, do I? My friend is still in there, with Kevin, and I don't know who else to call! I should have never come here!"  
  
[[Grace - ...maybe I'm not fine...]]  
  
[[Eli - ...don't cry... oh, God, don't let her cry!]]  
  
Eli couldn't believe this was Grace talking. She seemed so unsure, and there was a slight tremble in her voice that hit him right in the heart. He felt the overwhelming need to protect Grace, to make things better for her. "Where did you tell your mom you were going tonight?"  
  
"Sleeping over at Julie's house," Grace answered.  
  
"And Julie's the one still in there?" Eli asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, why don't we just go get something to eat... and then we can come back and see if Julie is ready to leave." Eli offered. To his relief, Grace nodded at the idea, and she seemed to gain more control over herself.  
  
"That sounds good." Grace even managed a small smile up at him.  
  
"Okay, what's close to here?" Eli wondered aloud. "Uh, Perkins is only a few blocks down."  
  
"Sounds good," Grace said, and they began to walk.  
  
They walked along, side by side in silence.  
  
[[Grace - Maybe, everyone needs a little rescuing now and then... *thoughtful pause*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Jessie, I thought you liked Chuckee Cheese's?" Rick asked as they got into Lily's car.  
  
Jessie shrugged, "I used to... I mean, it's fine. I don't mind going there."  
  
Lily looked back from her seat at the two girls, "We don't have to go there, Jessie. Zoe, is there anywhere else you wanted to go?"  
  
"No," Zoe said firmly.  
  
Lily looked sharply at her daughter, "What about Perkins? You always loved their mammoth muffins."  
  
Jessie smiled, "Oh, I like those too."  
  
Zoe looked over at her newest friend, pleased that they both liked the same thing. "Okay, mom," She answered.  
  
Lily turned around, glad to have settled that. She started up the car, looking over at Rick with love in her eyes.  
  
[[Lily - Everything is so perfect... this moment is perfect. If we got married... we'd have so many more of these moments... that would be so.... amazing!]]  
  
* * *  
  
The waiter seated Eli and Grace in the non-smoking section. They sat down in the booth across from each other.  
  
"Alright, they gave us one of those kiddy placemats." Eli said, his right hand reached over, picking up a crayon from the far side of the table.  
  
Grace watched him do the maze on the placemat in amusement. A smile spread over her face, slowly growing bigger as she watched him.  
  
[[Grace - *smiling, shakes head, smiles some more, then the smile fades, and she looks at the camera with a start* ...He saw me kiss Mark...]]  
  
"Do you know Mark?" Grace asked, her smile gone as she thought back to earlier that night.  
  
"Yeah, I..." Eli broke off as the waitress came and took their drink orders. When she walked away, Eli continued, "He's okay."  
  
"I wasn't asking if he's okay," Grace clarified.  
  
"Oh," Eli said, putting down the crayon and looking up at her.  
  
"I just meant... I don't care what he's like, because I didn't mean to, uh, kiss him," Grace stammered out.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Everything just kind of happened..." Grace was uneased by Eli's failure to really comment on her kissing Mark. Grace couldn't even tell what he was thinking, his eyes were so guarded.  
  
[[Eli - *leans back in chair* Do we have to talk about this?]]  
  
"I don't even know him... I don't know what I was thinking," Grace folded the corner of her napkin over and over. "It was a stupid thing to do..."  
  
"Uh huh," Eli said in monotone.  
  
"It was meaningless... like OUR kiss," Grace found herself saying.  
  
[[Grace - *eyebrows raised, looking at camera, waiting*]]  
  
Eli looked down at his hands, "Yeah."  
  
[[Grace - *frowns*]]  
  
The waitress came back and set their sodas in front of them, but Grace just stared at hers in silence.  
  
[[Grace - *taps cheek lightly with one hand, eyes fill up with tears* So, that is what he thinks of our kiss... that it was meaningless...]]  
  
[[Eli - *not looking at camera* ....I didn't think SHE'D think it was meaningless... I thought she would have... felt different...]]  
  
* * * 


	18. Keeping Secrets

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, thanks for reading, as always... and in case I haven't said it lately, thanks for your reviews...  
  
Chapter 18//Keeping Secrets  
  
"Would you like smoking or nonsmoking?" The hostess asked.  
  
"Non," Lily and Rick said together.  
  
"Alright, right this way," The hostess guided them to a booth. "Here are your menus, and the waitress will be right with you."  
  
"Thank you," Rick said, and looked across the table at the kids. "Pick anything you want."  
  
Zoe's eyes lit up and she opened her menu. Jessie let the menu sit in front of her.  
  
"Jessie?" Rick questioned.  
  
Jessie looked up, "Oh, I just wanted a blueberry muffin."  
  
"Aren't you hungry?" Lily asked.  
  
Jessie shrugged, "Not really."  
  
[[Jessie - Everyone always is asking me if I'm hungry... I just don't feel like eating that much sometimes...]]  
  
Rick looked at his daughter carefully, but didn't comment.  
  
"Oh, I want the chicken tenders, french fries, and a banana nut muffin!" Zoe said, making up her mind. She closed the menu and smiled happily.  
  
"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Jessie said, standing up. Zoe stood up too.  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"You know where it is, honey?" Rick asked. Jessie nodded. She walked away, Zoe following her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Have you two decided on what you want to eat?" Their waitress asked.  
  
Grace looked up in surprise. "Oh, um, just a blueberry muffin."  
  
"The same," Eli said quickly. The waitress walked away.  
  
Grace retreated back into silence. She couldn't believe Eli had just said he thought their kiss was meaningless.  
  
[[Grace - I think I was kind of expecting him to say something like that... and so, that's why I put off talking to him. *looks away* But it still hurts...]]  
  
[[Eli - *looks confused* I should feel relieved that Grace thinks our kiss was meaningless, right?]]  
  
"Look, Eli..." Grace began.  
  
"Eli??"  
  
Eli turned his head. "Jessie? What are you doing here?"  
  
"What are YOU doing here?" Jessie asked. "I thought you had band practice at John's."  
  
Grace wasn't concerned about having Jessie run into them, until she saw the surprised little figure behind Jessie. "Zoe, what are you doing here? Is mom here?"  
  
Eli looked at Grace and they shared a brief worried look.  
  
"Yeah, mom and Rick are over there," Zoe said pointing. "I thought you were at Julie's... are you guys on a date?"  
  
"No!" Grace and Eli said together.  
  
"Does Dad know you're here?" Jessie asked.  
  
"No," Eli said quickly. "Don't tell them, okay?"  
  
"So, you're not on a date?" Zoe asked, confused.  
  
"Zoe, don't tell mom I'm here, okay?" Grace pleaded.  
  
"Why not?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Why not?" Jessie agreed.  
  
"Just don't... please," Eli said. He looked briefly at Grace, who was looking at Zoe. His heart tore at the fear on her face. He knew Grace would get in big trouble if her mother found out she had lied to her, and had been at a party.  
  
"I guess..." Jessie said uneasily. She looked at Grace and Eli curiously, wondering what was up.  
  
"Zoe?" Grace begged.  
  
Zoe looked up at Jessie. "Okay, I guess."  
  
"Uh, thank you. I owe you, Zoe," Grace said. "You guys should go back, before they wonder where you've been."  
  
The two girls walked away. Grace sunk down in her seat, putting one hand over the side of her face.  
  
[[Grace - I can't believe I have to trust Zoe not to say anything... this is ZOE!]]  
  
[[Eli - I can usually count on Jessie. I know she won't say anything. She's someone I always trust.]]  
  
"Uh, can we have the check?" Eli asked as the waitress passed by the table.  
  
"But, I haven't even brought out your food!" The waitress said in surprise.  
  
"That's okay. We're not really hungry anymore..." Eli forced a small smile.  
  
The waitress pulled out their bill and handed it to him.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Eli said to Grace, after throwing down two dollars for a tip.  
  
Grace nodded, and they made their exit.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily and Rick looked up as their daughters slid in the booth across from them. Jessie's face was a little scrunched up as if she was confused about something, and Zoe's face held a big knowing smile.  
  
"Girls?" Rick asked.  
  
"Hmmm?" Jessie mumbled.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Rick looked over them again.  
  
"Everything's fine," Jessie said quickly.  
  
Zoe smiled at Jessie, and nodded, "Everything's fine."  
  
Rick looked at Lily, and they shared a curious look. Lily shrugged. Whatever it was, the girls probably wouldn't tell them. "We ordered for you while you were gone," Lily told them.  
  
The two girls were silent. Zoe was still smiling and kept trying to caught Jessie's eye, but Jessie was staring down at the table.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh my God!" Grace exclaimed after they had made it a block away from the restaurant.  
  
"Don't freak out," Eli said.  
  
"I'm not freaking out!" Grace insisted. She stopped walking and looked over at him. "Do you realize how close my life just came to ending?"  
  
"Yeah, but everything worked out," Eli said, touching her shoulder lightly.  
  
Grace's eyes widened, "But it's not over! Zoe is a blabbermouth... I bet she's telling my mother right now!"  
  
"Hey, don't worry. Jessie's there too, and I know she wouldn't say anything. And Zoe looks up to Jessie... so if Jessie doesn't say anything, Zoe won't either, I bet." Eli reassured her. He grabbed both of her shoulders lightly and waited until her eyes met his. "It'll be okay."  
  
[[Eli - I just... I just feel this need to make her okay... She's usually so together, and to see her upset... I just want to make it okay for her...]]  
  
"Yeah," Grace breathed out. She began to relax a little more. They continued walking. They reached Cassidy's house, and Grace was relieved to see Julie standing out front. She turned to Eli, "Did you want a ride or something? I'm sure Julie's sister would give you one."  
  
"Uh, no. My dad would be wondering where his car was when he gets home tonight. I'll just find some of my sober friends, and they'll drive the car back for me." Eli said.  
  
Grace nodded. Julie had caught site of her, and waved, but Grace was reluctant to leave Eli. "So, I guess I'll see you Monday..."  
  
[[Grace - Eli was really there for me tonight... I didn't expect that. But at the same time, now I know he didn't mean anything by the kiss... so... *shrugs* Maybe we can be friends, or something...]]  
  
"Yeah, sure, Grace," Eli's voice wasn't as confident as Grace would have hoped.  
  
[[Eli - I don't have girl friends... not really. It's always been hard for me to be just friends with a girl. Jennifer was my friend, before we... started dating. And Cassidy is a friend, I guess... but I think she wants something more... So, I don't have much luck being just friends with girls. *half-smile*]]  
  
Grace began to walk away, but stopped. "Eli?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Grace paused, smiling softly. "Thanks... for everything."  
  
Eli smiled a bit, and hung his head as she walked away.  
  
Grace walked up to Julie. "Hey."  
  
"Where have you've been?" Julie asked, grinning. "And what were you doing with Eli?"  
  
"Nothing," Grace said, shrugging, but smiling at the same time. "Let's just go."  
  
The girls walked over to the curb, where Julie's sister had just pulled up. Eli stood in the dark by his father's car and watched them drive away with a small smile on his face.  
  
* * *  
  
"Well, we had fun tonight, didn't we Jessie?" Rick said, as Lily pulled up in front of Rick's apartment building.  
  
"Yeah, Dad," Jessie said.  
  
[[Jessie - I always been good at keeping secrets... I don't like to, but I'm good at it.]]  
  
"Well, bye Zoe, bye Lily," Rick said, as they got out of the car.  
  
Jessie echoed her father's words, catching the secretive look in Zoe's eyes and nodding. She and Zoe had managed not to spill the beans on Eli and Grace's non-date at the restaurant. It had been hard though... twice Jessie had to elbow Zoe when Zoe had almost inadvertently let the secret out. But they had done it.  
  
[[Zoe - I think Grace and Eli make a cute couple... it's kind of gross, since they might be stepbrother and stepsister someday, but... I dunno. It's nice to know something I'm not supposed to know....*big smile* I like secrets.]]  
  
* * * 


	19. Avoiding the Issue

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 19//Avoiding the Issue  
  
Zoe ran into Grace's bedroom and jumped on her bed.  
  
"Zoe!" Grace complained as her notebooks began sliding. "Don't jump on the--" Grace yanked Zoe down.  
  
Zoe smiled at Grace. "Do you love him?"  
  
[[Grace - *smiles* That's crazy! That's ridiculous..... I... I can't answer that... Next question?]]  
  
"Love who?" Grace said, pretending not to know who Zoe was talking about. Ever since Zoe and Jessie had run into Grace and Eli at Perkins two days ago, Zoe had been bugging her nonstop about Eli. It was really annoying, but at least Zoe had kept her promise, and their mother had no clue Grace had been anywhere but at Julie's Friday night.  
  
"Eli!" Zoe cried. She picked up one of Grace's pillows and threw it up in the air.  
  
"Zoe! I'm trying to study!" Grace said.  
  
"You never want to play with me anymore!" Zoe protested.  
  
"I'm busy!" Grace said loudly.  
  
"Come on... play monopoly with me. We never get to play that anymore," Zoe begged.  
  
[[Zoe - Grace is okay... sometimes. But I still think it would be cool if Jessie was my sister...]]  
  
"Zoe! I have homework to do... maybe tomorrow."  
  
"No, today! You said you owed me one for not telling mom about you being at the restaurant," Zoe remembered Grace.  
  
"Alright!" Grace gave in. "But this is your one favor... after this the slate is clean again."  
  
"Fine," Zoe said shrugging. She ran off to get the board set up. Grace sighed and followed her.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, are you dating her?" Jessie asked as she sat on Eli's bed.  
  
"No..." Eli answered as he played a few chords on his guitar.  
  
"Then what were you doing there, together?"  
  
Eli set down his guitar and looked at his little sister. "Nothing. We're just friends."  
  
Jessie raised her eyebrows. "I didn't think you had girls who were just 'friends'."  
  
"Well, I do..." Eli insisted.  
  
[[Eli - ...okay, not really... But can we talk about something else?]]  
  
Jessie said nothing, just smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
"I can't deal with him anymore!" Lily cried out as the door to Rick's apartment opened.  
  
Eli looked at her quizzically from the open doorway.  
  
"Oh, sorry," Lily smiled. "I thought you were Rick. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine," Eli answered.  
  
"I heard from Grace that you're in a band. That's neat."  
  
Eli stepped aside, so Lily could enter. "Yeah, well, we're still in the very early stages."  
  
Rick entered the room, and saw Lily. "Hey!"  
  
"Hey you." Lily said as the two joined in a quick kiss. Eli exited to his room.  
  
"How are you?" Rick asked. They sat down on the couch.  
  
"Miserable!" Lily put her face against Rick's plaid shirt. She let out a muffled scream. "Jake is driving me nuts!"  
  
"More than usual?"  
  
Lily lifted her head, and rolled her eyes. "You should hear him at the mediator's... he goes against every suggestion I make." Lily paused. "I don't think I'll get through this divorce alive!"  
  
"You better... I'm counting on you becoming an unattached woman someday," Rick said, kissing her neck.  
  
"I'll never be unattached... I come with a soon-to-be-ex-husband, two kids, and a noisy sister. Take it, or leave it." Lily said.  
  
"I'll take it." Rick said, with a smile.  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace, hey!" Julie called.  
  
Grace turned. "Oh, hi. I didn't see you."  
  
"Obliviously," Julie said with a sneer. She turned to Sarah, "Grace's in love."  
  
"Oooohhhh!" Sarah smiled. "Eli?"  
  
"Shut up!" Grace said. "I'm not in love... especially not with him."  
  
[[Grace - *shakes head* I don't what to tell you... Can we move on?]]  
  
Julie raised her eyebrows and looked at Sarah, "You should have seen the look in her eyes on Friday when she came back from someplace with Eli."  
  
"You went somewhere with Eli!" Sarah exclaimed. "Details!"  
  
Grace shrugged, looking around the quickly crowding hallway. "It was nothing. We just went to Perkins."  
  
"Umm hmmm," Sarah looked Grace over. "But you talked to him about the kiss, right?"  
  
"Julie!" Grace complained. "I thought I told you not to tell anyone!"  
  
"Sarah's not 'anyone'!" Julie argued. "So, did you talk about it?"  
  
"No." Grace said quickly, not wanting to say the truth.  
  
[[Grace - What? It's not like I have to tell them everything...]]  
  
Julie and Sarah exchanged similar looks of surprise.  
  
"I got to go to class," Grace said, slipping away from their group.  
  
Julie and Sarah watched her go.  
  
"How could they have NOT talked about it?" Julie asked.  
  
"Beats me," Sarah said, watching Grace disappear into the crowd. She turned back to face Julie, "Soooo, what's up with you and Kevin?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Could you do me a big favor?" Rick asked into the phone.  
  
Lily smiled on her side, "Sure."  
  
"I told Karen I'd pick up the kids, but Miles set up a meeting for three, and I can't get out of it. So could you..." Rick said.  
  
"Pick them up? Sure. I'd love to," Lily said.  
  
"Great."  
  
* * *  
  
"What are we doing at the middle school?" Zoe asked as her mother parked the car.  
  
"I told Rick I'd pick up Jessie and Eli today." Lily explained, getting out the car, so she could have a better look around.  
  
"Oooo, Great!" Zoe said, getting out too.  
  
"Jessie!" Lily called when she caught site of the girl. "Hey, your dad asked if I could give you a ride home!"  
  
Jessie walked over to them. "My dad couldn't pick me up?"  
  
"No, he had a meeting," Lily explained. "I like that shirt. It's very pretty."  
  
Jessie smiled. "Thanks."  
  
[[Jessie - Lily's okay, I guess. I mean, she's nice and everything... but most people are nice...]]  
  
The three of them got into the car.  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace."  
  
Grace turned at the sound of Eli's voice. "Hi."  
  
Eli caught up to her on the school lawn. "How was your weekend? Did Zoe say anything to your mom?"  
  
"No," Grace said, touched by his concern. "She's kept it quiet so far. Hopefully, she'll just forget about it soon... because I don't know if I could trust her with it for much longer."  
  
Behind them, Cassidy watched the two talk with her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Yeah, that's not a good feeling... not knowing if it will ever happen." Eli said.  
  
Grace smiled up at him, the sun making her squint.  
  
[[Grace - ...the feeling of not knowing... *looks down, thoughtful*]]  
  
"How are things with you?" Grace asked.  
  
"Oh, good." Eli looked down at his feet. "So, I was wondering..."  
  
"Eli!" Cassidy called, walking towards them.  
  
Eli looked over at her. "Cassidy."  
  
"Hi. Uh, it was a great party," Grace said, when she couldn't think of anything else to say.  
  
"Oh, you were there?" Cassidy asked. "I didn't notice."  
  
Eli narrowed his eyes, remembering how he had chased after Grace at the party, and how Cassidy had chased after him... Cassidy knew Grace had been there. Why did she lie? Eli looked over and saw the hurt look on Grace's face and understood.  
  
[[Eli - *shakes head in disgust*]]  
  
Grace managed a meek smile. "Yeah, I was there. I really loved your house."  
  
Cassidy shrugged coldly, "My parents are rich."  
  
"Oh, look, Grace..." Eli said as he took a hold of Grace's upper arm and guided her away from Cassidy. "Isn't that your ride?"  
  
Cassidy watched them go in anger.  
  
[[Grace - *smiles shyly* ...He keeps on surprising me. And it's just... so nice to have that. And I think... I'm really... really...]]  
  
"Sorry about that," Eli said, letting go of Grace's arm once they were far away from Cassidy. "My friends just keep turning out to be jerks."  
  
"That's okay," Grace said honestly.  
  
[[Grace - ....falling for him...]]  
  
"Grace! Eli!" Lily called out.  
  
The two looked over and caught site of Lily waving at them from her car. Eli saw Jessie and Zoe leaning together against the car.  
  
"Looks like I'm getting a ride home with you guys," Eli said.  
  
Grace smiled at him. "I guess so."  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi," Grace said to Jessie as she scrunched in next to her. Eli sat on the other side of Grace, and Zoe was in the front seat.  
  
"Hi," Jessie said.  
  
[[Jessie - That's not true! ...I never hated Grace! I just didn't know her that well....She's nice...]]  
  
Zoe turned around in her seat, looking at Eli and Grace and then at Jessie. Grace laughed in surprise as Zoe pointedly looked over at her and Eli again, and then winked at Jessie.  
  
"Is something funny?" Lily asked, looking in the rearview mirror.  
  
Grace shook her head, "No." She looked at Eli and he looked back at her. Then they both started laughing.  
  
Zoe frowned, not sure if they were laughing at her. Jessie squirmed in her seat, thinking they must be laughing at Zoe winking at her. Zoe had been acknowledging their shared secret of knowing about Grace and Eli being at Perkins... something she found much delight in. Nobody usually trusted her with secrets.  
  
But Eli and Grace just continued their shared laughter, not even sure what started it in the first place.  
  
[[Grace - Oh, God, did I really just tell you that? Okay, forget what I said, okay? Just forget it... even though... it's true... I'm totally falling for him. *nervous look*]]  
  
* * * 


	20. Unexpected Feelings

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Where  
  
Okay, thanks for reading/reviewing as always! Oh, and the song Eli plays is the song he played in the episode "I can't stand up for falling down"--- because I'm not talented at song-writing, so I wouldn't dare make up my own.  
  
Chapter 20//Unexpected Feelings  
  
"Okay, it's not quite finished..." Eli warned.  
  
Grace leaned forward, ready to listen.  
  
Eli looked up at her, smiled, and looked down at his guitar. He began to play the song he had been working on. He took a small relaxing breath and began to sing the words. He wasn't used to singing in front of people.  
  
"Put your ear close to the ground, do you hear a fading sound?"  
  
Grace watched him, totally absorbed by the beautifulness of his voice.  
  
"If it's lost, for getting found... it's me."  
  
"A vagabond with no address. Fire in the wilderness..." Eli stopped singing and looked over at Grace almost shyly.  
  
[[Grace - *looks completely mesmerized* ...He's amazing...]]  
  
Grace couldn't help but smile at the adorable look on his face. She shifted on the edge of his bed, and nodded. "I love it."  
  
Eli set down the guitar on his floor, and swung his feet up, so his whole body was on the bed. "Really?"  
  
Grace followed his suit, and moved further up on the bed, leaving only a foot between them. "Yes."  
  
Eli picked up a notebook. "I'm having trouble writing the next line, though."  
  
Grace scooted even closer, so she could lean in and read what he had.  
  
Eli looked at her profile as she looked over the notebook. Her brown hair brushed against his shoulder. The scent of lavender invaded his nose. He breathed in it, liking the scent.  
  
[[Eli - Grace is... just, *brow ceases as he thinks*... is just an overall amazing girl. I don't know anyone else like her.]]  
  
Grace drew back, and Eli focused his slightly dazed eyes on her. "Any suggestions?"  
  
Grace smiled shyly. "I'm not a song writer."  
  
Eli was silent, sensing that she had thought of something. Grace looked down at her hands, and then back at him, "How about 'the patient's losing conciousness'?"  
  
Eli ran the words over in his head, fitting them to the music. "I like that."  
  
Grace smiled in delight. Eli smiled back at her.  
  
[[Eli - She's got the prettiest smile...]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you sure no one's here?" Lily asked, as she and Rick entered his apartment.  
  
"Positive. The kids are at Karen's." Rick turned on the lights, gave it a second thought, and dimmed them.  
  
Lily laughed as Rick drew her into his arms, "We're like teenagers."  
  
Rick nibbled on her neck, and Lily forgot about being amused as she sank into his embrace. They stumbled over to the couch.  
  
* * *  
  
"Okay, now where do my fingers go?" Grace asked, as she held Eli's guitar in her hands.  
  
"The first one goes there, the second here, and..." Eli laughed as Grace looked perplexed. He moved over, and sat behind her. He put one leg on either side of her, trying not to notice the warmth of her body against his. He took her left hand in his, and helped her position her fingers. "Now strum," He instructed, his voice slightly heavy.  
  
Grace strummed. Eli couldn't see her face from his position. A look of pure joy, passion, and need all tangled into one danced in her eyes. She leaned back, ever so slightly, and felt her back touch his upper body.  
  
Eli repositioned her fingers with his left hand for the next chord, and let his right hand fall on the side of her right thigh.  
  
[[Eli - I didn't expect this... I didn't plan to feel this way about... her... about Grace.]]  
  
Grace trembled slightly, her body feeling like it might explode if she didn't turn around and kiss him... really kiss him.  
  
[[Grace - * touches her lips lightly with her fingertips*]]  
  
[[Eli - *wets his lips with his tongue*]]  
  
Eli let his left hand run up her arm, until it reached her shoulder. "Grace..."  
  
"What was that?" Grace asked.  
  
"Hmmm?" Eli asked, moving his head closer to her neck, thinking of how soft it looked. He opened his mouth slightly.  
  
Grace moved forward, getting off the edge of the bed. Eli felt air where her body had been. Grace moved to the door, listening. "Someone's here."  
  
"Oh," Eli said, disappointed. "It's probably just my dad."  
  
Grace nodded, and began to move away from the door, but then she heard her mother's voice.  
  
"Oh, Rick!"  
  
Grace's mouth dropped open and she quickly backed away from the door. Her face was filled with utter disgust.  
  
"What?" Eli asked, smiling at the odd expression on her face.  
  
"My mom's out there too," Grace explained. She looked towards the closed door again. "I think they're having sex..."  
  
"Oh!" Eli said in surprise, and then thought about it. He laughed.  
  
Grace looked at him, "It's not funny... it's gross."  
  
"I know, but..." Eli said, breaking off into laughter. His laughter faded and he looked up at Grace. "Look's like we're stuck in here, until they're done."  
  
Grace nodded, a slightly amused smile growing on her face.  
  
* * *  
  
A half an hour later, Eli checked at the door. He returned to the bed where Grace lay, and shook his head. "There's still some noises..." He told her.  
  
Grace's face wrinkled in disgust. Eli sat down on the bed next to her. Grace pulled herself up into a sitting position, and held up the notebook. "What about 'This light...this rain... this life... this pain' for the bridge?"  
  
Eli sang the words softly. "This light... this rain... this life... this pain."  
  
Grace smiled at his wonderful voice, singing her words.  
  
"That's perfect," Eli announced when he finished.  
  
Grace smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
"You are incredible," Rick said to Lily a little while later, as he held her naked body in his arms.  
  
"Mmmm," Lily mumbled, and they drifted into silence.  
  
The silence was broken by the telephone. Lily jumped in surprise, and Rick walked over to the phone. "Hello?" Rick said as he picked up the phone.  
  
"Hi," Karen's voice greeted him. "Could you tell Eli to bring back Jessie's purple sweater when he comes home. She says it's on her bed."  
  
"Wait, tell Eli what?" Rick asked, confused.  
  
"To bring Jessie's sweater back with him," Karen repeated.  
  
"Eli's coming over here?" Rick asked loudly, and shot a look at Lily, who was still undressed. Lily began to frantically put on her clothes. She threw his boxers, shirt, and pants at Rick. Rick caught them and pulled on his boxers.  
  
"He isn't there already?" Karen asked in surprise. "He left earlier, saying he wanted a quiet place to practice... hmm, maybe he's on his way home."  
  
Rick's eyes widened at that, and as he was pulling his pants on, he caught site of Eli's jacket on the counter. "Oh, no, I think he's here..."  
  
Lily's gasped and she buttoned up her shirt.  
  
"Okay, then ask him, okay? Jessie's purple sweater on her bed," Karen reminded him.  
  
"Got it," Rick said, hanging up the phone.  
  
"Should I go? I should go..." Lily said as Rick looked over at her.  
  
[[Lily - *look of embarrassment, puts face in hands* ...we were really loud...]]  
  
[[Rick - *slightly nervous* We weren't that loud... were we?]]  
  
"No, don't go. Just let me go see if he's up there." Rick went up the stairs. He knocked at Eli's door, and swung it open, without waiting for an answer.  
  
He looked inside the room, and saw Eli and Grace just getting up from his bed. The blankets were slightly crumpled, but Eli never made his bed, did he? It wasn't because they were having doing anything like he and Lily were doing downstairs... no, it couldn't be, Rick reassured himself.  
  
[[Rick - *silence, worried fatherly look* I've talked to Eli about sex... many times. But he's just a teenager... how much of that sinks in?]]  
  
"Dad!" Eli said quickly. "I didn't realize you were home." He looked over at Grace, nervously.  
  
"Yeah, uh, Lily and I just got here," Rick said quickly. "Why don't you two come downstairs?"  
  
Eli and Grace followed Rick down the stairs, where Lily awaited them. Lily was surprised when she saw Grace. "Grace, what are you doing here? Does your dad know you're here?"  
  
"Yeah, dad knows," Grace answered. "Eli and I were just working on a song."  
  
"Oh," Lily said. Grace wouldn't quite look her in the eyes, and Lily wondered what her daughter was holding back.  
  
[[Lily - Is... Are they a couple now?]]  
  
[[Grace - Oh, God, I can't even look at my mother, after hearing her and Rick... yuck!]]  
  
"Well, I was just leaving. Grace, why don't I give you a ride back to your dad's?" Lily asked.  
  
"Uh, actually, Eli was going to give me a ride. We were going to get something to eat. Dad said Eli and I should stop at the restaurant for dinner." Grace explained.  
  
"Jake said that?" Lily asked. Grace nodded. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, then."  
  
Grace and Eli headed to the door.  
  
"E?" Rick called after them.  
  
Eli turned, a worried look in his eyes.  
  
"Your mom said to bring Jessie's sweater back with you. It's on her bed." Rick said.  
  
Eli nodded, losing his nervous look. "Right," He said, and hurried off to Jessie's room.  
  
Rick looked at Grace after Eli went up the stairs. "How's school going?"  
  
Grace looked over, her eyes pausing briefly on him, before looking away. "It's fine."  
  
"Are you--" Rick began, but Eli was coming down the stairs again, having made the trip in record time.  
  
"Let's go," He said to Grace.  
  
Grace nodded. "Bye."  
  
"Wait, Grace, Eli!" Lily said, stopping them.  
  
"Hmm?" Grace asked. Eli was silent.  
  
"Are you guys dating?" Lily asked. She looked over at Rick, who was awaiting the answer just as eagerly as she was.  
  
"Uh, no," Eli said quickly and he and Grace left.  
  
Lily looked back at Rick. Rick looked at her, sharing in her confusion.  
  
* * * 


	21. One Compliments the Other

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 21//One Compliments the Other  
  
Lily looked up as she heard footsteps in the hall. Jake was coming towards her. Jake caught the look on her face and checked his watch. "I'm not late, am I?"  
  
"No, you're early, which is good. There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Lily said.  
  
Jake sighed, and nodded. He followed her to the bench at the end of the hall, near the mediator's office. They sat uneasily on the hard seat, and looked at each other. "Is this about the restaurant?" Jake asked finally.  
  
"No," Lily snapped. Jake frowned at her show of anger and looked away.  
  
[[Lily - I swear all he thinks about is the restaurant some times...]]  
  
"Is this something that we should talk about in there?" Jake asked, nodding towards the mediator's door.  
  
Lily shook her head, taking on a gentler tone of voice. "It's about Grace."  
  
"Grace?" Jake asked, concerned. "What about Grace? She was fine yesterday."  
  
Lily looked him over studying him. "Yeah, she certainly was fine, when Rick and I found her and Eli alone in an empty apartment.... in his bedroom!" Lily lowered her voice as she whispered the last part.  
  
Jake smiled, "Is this what this is about? Grace and Eli?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Lil," Jake began, "They just wanted a quiet place to practice. I met Eli, and he seemed like a nice guy."  
  
"He is a nice guy," Lily agreed.  
  
"Then what's the problem?" Jake asked. "Oh... wait, I get it..."  
  
Lily looked over at him. "Get what?"  
  
Jake nodded, smiling superiorly. "You don't Grace to be with Eli because he's Rick's son, and that would make things hard on YOU."  
  
[[Jake - I swear, all she thinks about is herself sometimes...]]  
  
"That's not true!" Lily argued, although that had been the case when Lily first began to wonder if Grace and Eli were getting close.  
  
"Then, what's wrong with Grace spending time with him?"  
  
Lily leaned back. "...It's not like that Jake... she's only 14."  
  
"Grace is a mature 14. She knows what's right and wrong. She doesn't need us watching her every move," Jake reminded her.  
  
"So, you're saying nothing would happen?" Lily questioned, "You're saying that you would let your 14 year old daughter be alone with a 16 year old boy in his bedroom?"  
  
Jake blinked.  
  
[[Jake - Lily and I complimented each other as parents. She would be the one with the rules, and I got to be the cool one... she hated it.]]  
  
[[Lily - I always had to be twice as much a parent, to make up for Jake's lack... And, the kids didn't see that. They just saw him as being the fun one, the cool one, while I was just... the mom.]]  
  
"I trust Grace," Jake said. He stood up, looking down at his wife. "Besides I thought you said Eli was a nice guy."  
  
Lily was silent. She stood up and followed Jake into the mediator's office.  
  
* * *  
  
Rick paused outside the jewelry store. He looked around, almost guiltily as he considered going inside. He moved towards the window display, where a couple large diamond rings stood out from the collection of fine jewelry. Rick swallowed hard, glancing around, and looked back at the rings.  
  
[[Rick - I've only been with Lily, for what... three... four months now. But, everything just feels right. We feel right. *deep breath*]]  
  
Rick entered the store.  
  
[[Rick - I don't even know if she'll say yes. I know she loves me, but.... She's still technically married. *This statement throws him, as he ponders over it, frowning*]]  
  
Rick left the store just as quickly as he entered.  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli! Hi!" Grace called over the loud music.  
  
Eli looked up from his guitar and flashed her a smile, but continued on playing the song the band was rehearsing. Grace turned around, glancing at Jessie, who nodded at her to continue down the stairs. Grace did and she and Jessie sat down on a couch in front of the practicing band.  
  
After the song ended, Eli set down his guitar. He came over to Grace, sitting down on the arm of the couch, next to where she sat. "So, did you like it?"  
  
"Yeah," Grace said smiling. "You guys are really good."  
  
"Thanks," Eli turned and pointed at the drummer, "That's Markie." He pointed at the bass player, "That's John." And he pointed at the other guitar player, "That's Turk."  
  
"Hi!" Grace said to them.  
  
The members of the band nodded at her existence.  
  
"Are those your socks?" Eli said, out of no where.  
  
"What?" Grace laughed.  
  
Eli moved down to the floor and lifted the bottom of her pant leg just a bit. Grace's multi-colored socks were displayed. "Colorful," Eli commented, grinning up at her.  
  
"Stop!" Grace giggled and she pushed at Eli's hand.  
  
Eli grabbed her ankles, and yanked them, so she slid down further on the couch. "Eli!" Grace complained. She tried kicking at him, but Eli was holding onto her legs tight.  
  
Jessie watched the two of them, with a small, slightly sad smile.  
  
[[Jessie - I don't know if I'll ever find... love. I just.. *shrugs, shakes head*.. just don't know if there's a right somebody out there for me... it's a nice thought to have though... that everyone has a soul mate, just waiting for them out there somewhere... but knowing MY luck, my soul mate is in China or something...]]  
  
"Eli, don't!" Grace cried as Eli untied her shoes and then proceeded to tie them together in one big knot. Eli just looked up at her with a mischievous smile, and Grace couldn't keep a smile off her own face.  
  
"You know, I think you can tell a lot about someone based on their socks," Eli commented, putting a serious look on his face.  
  
"Oh, yeah, and what do mine say about me?" Grace asked, playing along.  
  
"Um, let's see... that you're wild, crazy, and all about having a good time," Eli said, raising his eyebrows.  
  
Grace laughed. "What do your socks say about you?" She asked.  
  
Eli lifted the leg of his pants, showing off a pair of white socks. "That I'm innocent, pure, and all about going to school, and studying and that garbage."  
  
"Uh, huh," Grace said, smiling. She lifted her feet off the ground and tried to move them apart, but Eli's knots held her shoes together.  
  
Eli smiled, shrugged, and took her feet in his lap and began to undo the damage.  
  
"Oh, you're all here," Karen said, coming down the stairs. Eli quickly pushed Grace's feet off his lap and stood up.  
  
"Yeah, sorry, mom. I should have asked if we could practice here first." Eli said, walking over to the stairs. "But you weren't here, and we were really in need of someplace to play."  
  
"Oh, no, it's okay, Eli," Karen said, reassuring him. "Just don't be too loud."  
  
Jessie smiled at her mom, "Hi mom."  
  
"Did you do your homework?" Karen asked of Jessie.  
  
Jessie nodded. Grace snuck a glance over at Eli's mom, catching Karen when she was looking over at her. "I'm Grace," Grace said quickly.  
  
"Hi. I'm Eli's mom..." Karen trailed off as the name rang bells in her head. "You're Lily's Grace?"  
  
"Yes, she is," Eli said quickly. "We'll, uh, try to keep it down."  
  
Karen hesitantly went up the stairs, shutting the basement door behind her.  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you want something to drink?" Jessie called to Grace, over the band's music.  
  
Grace nodded, and Jessie stood up to go get some sodas, but Grace grabbed her arm lightly. "I think I'll come up with you!"  
  
Jessie nodded, and once they got to the top of the stairs, they could actually hear each other talk normally.  
  
"I have to go to the bathroom," Grace explained, for why she joined Jessie on her excursion upstairs. "I didn't want to shout that though..." Grace laughed, and Jessie joined in.  
  
[[Jessie - *smiles, pauses and then her forehead crinkles up* Have you ever really disliked someone... and then realized that they're not that bad?.... and you wonder why you hated... I mean, disliked them.. in the first place...]]  
  
"It's the second door on the left," Jessie directed her. Grace went down the hall, and Jessie went to the fridge for the drinks. Her mom was at the table reading the newspaper.  
  
"So, you did your French homework?" Karen questioned of her.  
  
"Yeah, I did it yesterday," Jessie said, opening the fridge.  
  
"Hmmm," Karen said, and Jessie pulled out a couple of sodas. "So this Grace is..."  
  
"Mom!" Jessie cried, looking at her mother. Jessie lowered her voice to a whisper, not wanting Grace to overhear, "She's in the bathroom."  
  
"Oh." Karen said. She set down the newspaper, and moved closer to her daughter. "So, you like her?"  
  
Jessie shrugged, "She's nice."  
  
"Is she... are they dating?" Karen asked.  
  
Jessie shook her head, "Not yet."  
  
"Not yet?" Karen echoed, feeling an ache in her stomach. She didn't know how she felt about Eli getting serious with the daughter of the woman her husband was dating. It just seemed weird... "Isn't that a little odd?" Karen found herself saying out loud. "With your dad dating..." Karen cut off her words as they heard the bathroom door opening.  
  
Jessie gathered up the sodas in her arms, she looked over at her mother briefly. "It's not odd... it's cool."  
  
Jessie left the kitchen, running into Grace, and they went down to the basement. In the kitchen, Karen looked confused and a bit worried.  
  
* * *  
  
The band paused after the finished playing through their newest song. Eli looked towards the stairs, where Grace and Jessie had just gone up.  
  
"Relax, boy, she'll be back," Turk said, elbowing Eli.  
  
Eli blinked, looking over at his friend, "Huh?"  
  
Turk smiled knowingly at Markie and John.  
  
"What?" Eli demanded, glaring at his friends.  
  
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Eli's attention was drawn to the girl coming down them. He smiled as Grace's pretty face came into view, and then he realized what his friends had been jabbering him about... Grace. He looked away from Grace quickly, turning to the other guys. "How about we run through 'Everyone Goes'?"  
  
But the guys had seen the sodas Jessie was bringing down for him, and they voted for a break. Eli went over joined them, sitting on one of the two couches that joined at a ninety degree angle. Grace, Jessie, and Turk sat on the other one. Grace looked up, and Eli knew she was probably wondering why he wasn't sitting in the empty spot next to her.  
  
[[Eli - I don't know if I'm ready for this... this THING between me and Grace, just keeps growing, and I think that... soon it'll be too big to ignore anymore. But maybe I'm wrong... maybe she really does just want to be friends... *looks at his hands* I mean, she said that our kiss meant nothing... so why would she have changed her mind?]]  
  
Grace drank her soda, listening to the conversation going on between Turk and Jessie. She glanced over at Eli, who seemed a little distracted. She didn't understand why he suddenly withdrew into his shell...  
  
[[Grace - I don't get it. I thought he liked me. I thought I was growing on him... that he changed his mind about thinking our kiss was meaningless. And suddenly he changes, and he retreats back into himself... and I wonder if I even made an impact on him... even a small dent? Does he not... like me? Does he just want to be friends? Is that what this has all been?.... just friendship?]]  
  
* * * 


	22. Along for the Ride

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 22//Along for the Ride  
  
"So the plan is you'll go to your father's for the 23rd and the 24th, and part of Christmas day. Then you'll come back and spend the rest of Christmas day here." Lily explained over the dinner table.  
  
"Sounds good," Grace said quietly... this would be the first Christmas that her parents were separated. And who knows... by next Christmas, her mother could be married to Rick, and everything would change once again.  
  
"And," Lily took a deep breath, not sure how the next part would go over. "Rick and his kids are going to come over on Christmas evening and spend the night."  
  
"Cool! Like a sleepover?" Zoe grinned.  
  
Grace squirmed; she didn't even want to ask where Rick would be sleeping...  
  
[[Grace - It's totally weird to know that your mother is having sex with a man who's not your father... or even that she's having sex at all! *nose crinkles up* It's like... why can't parents just stop doing it, when they get old? Cause, it's totally disgusting...]]  
  
"Grace, what do you think?" Lily asked carefully.  
  
Grace looked up from her macaroni, "I just don't know where we're all going to sleep... I mean the kids," She added quickly.  
  
"Oh," Lily thought about it. "Well, the living room couch pulls out into a bed. I'm sure Eli wouldn't mind sleeping there. And Jessie could stay in your room."  
  
"No, I want Jessie to sleep in MY room," Zoe complained.  
  
"But, honey, Grace's bed is bigger..." Lily explained.  
  
"Wait, so where am I going to sleep?" Grace asked, frowning.  
  
"Oh, you can stay on your floor or something..." Lily sighed, "Grace, it's only one night."  
  
"Why can't they just come over for dinner and then sleep at their own place?" Grace questioned. Lily was silent.  
  
[[Grace - I don't know where my mother gets these ideas... it's almost like she's trying it out... seeing how all of us under one roof goes. And if it goes good, then I guess nothing would be stopping her from asking Rick to move in with us... *looks away*]]  
  
"Fine. Whatever," Grace said. She stabbed at her macaroni noodles angrily.  
  
"No, not 'whatever', Grace... I won't do this if you don't want to." Lily looked over at her daughter.  
  
"That's crap, mom! You'll do whatever you want, when you want to! You've always have!" Grace stood up, walking away from her half-eaten dinner. Lily followed her into the living room.  
  
"Grace!" Lily's face was tight with tension. "I thought you'd love the idea of them spending the night."  
  
"Why?" Grace stopped at the foot of the stairs. "Did you think that I'd feel that way just because of... Eli? Because you know what, mother? This isn't about HIM!"  
  
Grace stormed up the stairs. Lily watched her go, pained.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace was curled up on her bed, when her mother knocked on her door.  
  
"Grace?" Lily questioned. Grace was silent, and Lily stepped in.  
  
"Honey, what's this about?" Lily asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."  
  
Grace continued looking at the wall. Finally she spoke up, "Are you going to marry him?"  
  
Lily was flabbergasted. She paused, thinking of the right words. "Most likely, yes. But not now, not tomorrow, not next week..."  
  
"So, you're going to marry him, and he's going to move in here, and everything's going to change." Grace stated.  
  
"Gracie, that's a long ways away. I'm still legally married to your dad you know."  
  
"What was wrong with Daddy?" Grace sat up, looking at her mother. "Why aren't you together anymore?"  
  
Lily put a hand on Grace's shoulder. "Oh, honey, we've talked about this before. Jake and I just can't be married anymore. It wasn't working out. There were just too many problems."  
  
[[Grace - *smiling* When I was little, I used to love to watch my mother and father together. They loved each other... even little me could see that. They'd kiss, and hold hands, and whisper to each other...... *loses smile* but somewhere they lost that. And now I look at them, and I don't see the love between them anymore. And I wonder where it went? How can you just stop loving someone?]]  
  
"So, you think Rick is the right one?" Grace asked.  
  
"I know Rick is the right one," Lily said with a smile. "I hope you will see that too."  
  
Grace looked down at her hands.  
  
[[Grace - *looking down at her hands* And now when I look at my mother and Rick... I see what I used to see between my parents. *looks up* She loves him. And he loves her... Everything's going to change...]]  
  
"I think I do see it, mom," Grace said softly.  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
"Mom, are... is Dad going to be okay... all alone?" Grace asked when her mother began to leave the room.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lily stopped, looking at her questioningly.  
  
"On Christmas... we've never spent one apart yet." Grace clarified herself.  
  
"Oh, Gracie," Lily took her in her arms, hugging her fiercely. "Don't you worry about your father. He'll be alright. We'll all be alright."  
  
* * *  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Rick greeted Lily as she opened the door to them.  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Lily cried, just as enthusiastically. "Hi Jessie, Eli."  
  
"Hi." Jessie and Eli said together, both looking a little out of place as they carried their overnight bags into the house. Rick caught Lily and gave her a quick kiss.  
  
"Jess!" Zoe yelled, running into the room. "You have to see the new computer game I got."  
  
Jessie followed Zoe away. Eli looked back at his father, who was whispering something to Lily. He hesitated, then started up the stairs. The sign on the first door told him it was the one he wanted. Eli knocked on Grace's door.  
  
Grace opened it, and her mouth dropped open a bit, as she took in his presence. "Uh, hi. I didn't think you guys were coming until later."  
  
Eli shrugged, "You should have seen my dad. He was hopping around like a two-year old. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and we came here early." Eli looked past her.  
  
"Oh, my room's a mess." Grace warned, letting him in. She hesitated, and then closed the door behind him. She surveyed the room, making sure nothing embarrassing was lying around. Eli sat down on her bed.  
  
"We came up with a name," He announced.  
  
"For the band?" Grace asked, interested.  
  
"Yeah. We're Anti-inflammatory." Eli said with a smile.  
  
"That's... cool," Grace said, when she failed to find the right word. She picked up a few shirts from her desktop and moved them to her dresser. She turned back, looking at Eli. "Okay, are you as bewildered by this as me?"  
  
"You mean this overnight date thing?" Eli asked. Grace nodded. "Yeah, it's kind of weird. Okay, it's very weird. It's like if they want to have sex, then why do they need to drag us along?"  
  
Grace laughed. "Exactly! It wouldn't be THAT weird if just your dad was staying over, because I'm pretty sure he has when Zoe and I have been at my dad's, but for them to make you guys stay too..."  
  
Eli nodded his agreement. He paused. "I think they're trying it out...seeing how having us all live together goes."  
  
Grace sighed, and sat down next to Eli on the bed. "That's exactly what I think." She looked at him. "Pretty soon we might be step- siblings."  
  
"Not that soon, I hope..." Eli said, then wondered if he said too much.  
  
[[Eli - I really like Grace. I never expected to, but I do... I don't know what comes next though. Do we become girlfriend and boyfriend... or stepsister and stepbrother? ..................... or both?]]  
  
Eli looked over at Grace, who was looking at her hands. Eli studied her profile, taking in her beauty.  
  
[[Eli - I think I like her TOO much... I'm not supposed to like someone THIS much. I didn't even like Jennifer this much.... and so what do I do? *deep breath* Because liking someone this much scares me. *long look into camera*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Move over!" Jessie cried.  
  
She pushed at Eli, who pushed into Grace, who cried out, "Hey!"  
  
"Shut up... the good part's coming!" Zoe cried from her spot on the other side of Jessie. She stared into the television, transfixed, as Dorothy began to click her heels.  
  
"There's no place like home... there's no place like home..."  
  
Grace shoved Eli. Eli shoved her back. Jessie groaned at the two of them. Zoe turned around, shushing them.  
  
The four of them were sitting, or laying- in Zoe's case, on the opened sofa bed in the living room. Their parents were no where to be seen, and Grace had a good guess that they were already upstairs in her mother's bedroom.  
  
Zoe sighed dreamingly, as the movie credits began to roll. "I love that movie!"  
  
"She's the only one," Grace whispered to Eli. Grace, Eli and Jessie had all been restless throughout the movie. They had talked, eaten snacks, and basically ignored the television screen.  
  
"Okay, can we watch another one?" Zoe asked, getting up. She went to the shelf and began picking out another movie.  
  
"Zoe, don't you think you should go to bed?" Grace asked, hoping to be saved from watching The Lion King or While You Were Sleeping, or any other of the movies Grace had already seen a million times.  
  
"I'm not a baby!" Zoe cried angrily.  
  
"Well, maybe you and Jessie could go play that computer game some more," Eli suggested, taking a sidelong glance at Grace, who was dressed in a pair of blue plaid pajamas. She looked really cute.  
  
[[Eli - *smiles*]]  
  
Jessie scowled at her brother, making sure Zoe didn't see. She had already spent a couple hours with Zoe playing that game. Eli sighed. "Why don't we just watch something on TV?" He suggested, to make everyone happy.  
  
Zoe came over, hopping on the sofa bed. "We don't have any good channels, though. My friend, Doreen, she has, like, 300 channels! We only have, like 30."  
  
Eli flipped through the channels, but couldn't find anything. He handed the remote off to Zoe. "I've got to go to the bathroom," He explained as he crawled past Grace and off the sofa bed.  
  
Eli went down the hall and into the bathroom. When he came out he paused, looking at the montage of family pictures hanging on the walls. A young Grace at 7 probably, missing a few baby teeth, smiled happily at him in one picture. Eli smiled back. He went back in the family room, finding only Grace sitting on the bed.  
  
"They're making popcorn," Grace explained.  
  
"Really?" Eli asked. "Zoe already ate that whole bag of chips. I can't believe she's still hungry."  
  
"Actually it was Jessie's idea," Grace told him.  
  
Eli was surprised. His sister was never usually hungry... in fact, Eli couldn't remember the last time Jessie had eaten anything that wasn't part of a meal. She never usually snacked. This new information pleased Eli, as it lessened his subconscious worries about his sister, which he hadn't even realized he had had. "Find anything good?" Eli asked, looking at the TV, as he sat down next to her.  
  
Grace shook her head, "Zoe decided we're going to watch the Titanic."  
  
"Uh... how long is that movie again?" Eli asked.  
  
"Three hours, I think," Grace laughed.  
  
* * *  
  
An hour into the movie, Grace laid back on the bed, closing her eyes. She felt warm breath on her skin and opened them again to see Eli looking down at her, his face close to his. "Are you going to sleep?" He whispered, so not to disturb Jessie and Zoe at the foot of the bed, who were entrenched in the saga of Titanic.  
  
"I don't know," Grace whispered back. "It is late."  
  
"Okay, goodnight," Eli said, rolling over onto his own back.  
  
Grace turned her head slightly, looking at him laying next to her less than a foot away. "Do you mind?" She asked.  
  
Eli turned his head, "Hmm?"  
  
"I mean, this is supposed to be your bed for the night, and I'm..."  
  
"I don't mind," Eli said quickly.  
  
[[Grace - *smiles*]]  
  
"Really?" Grace asked. She looked deep into his eyes.  
  
"Really," Eli assured her.  
  
"Eli.... goodnight," Grace whispered, closing her eyes, the long day obliviously making her tired. Her breathing evened out, and Eli sensed that she was asleep. He watched her, and gradually his own eyelids grew heavy and fell down over his eyes.  
  
* * * 


	23. Doubting Thoughts

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 23//Doubting Thoughts  
  
Zoe had tears in her eyes as the movie ended. "That is such a sad movie!"  
  
Jessie nodded, her own eyes slightly glassed over. "Wow, it's late..." She said, looking at the clock on top of the television. Zoe stopped the movie with the remote and hit the rewind button.  
  
"Grace?" Zoe asked. She and Jessie turned around, looking behind at the sofa bed on which they sat. Grace and Eli lay sleeping, their faces turned towards each other, only inches apart. Zoe turned back to Jessie with a huge smile.  
  
Jessie smiled a small smile back.  
  
"How come they say they're not dating?" Zoe asked as she and Jessie made their way upstairs.  
  
"Because they aren't," Jessie answered. "But I don't think it will be long before they are."  
  
Zoe nodded at that, and they went into Zoe's room, where the bed was just big enough for Jessie, who reluctantly accepted it. Zoe curled up on her rug, comfortable in a mound of blankets.  
  
* * *  
  
Eli rolled over in his sleep, his foot hitting something. A distant thud. Eli opened his eyes, and slowly became aware of where he was.... in the living room at Lily's house. He sat up gradually, and noticed the sleeping figure next to him... Grace. She was a vision of pure beauty, her face peaceful as she slept.  
  
Eli looked around the room, and saw what he had knocked off the bed in his sleep... the empty bowl that had had popcorn in it earlier. It lay fallen on the floor, but it was doing no damage. Eli let it be, and lay back down. He moved a little closer to Grace. The room had gotten chillier, so he pulled a blanket off the stack Lily had set out for him and used it to cover himself and Grace.  
  
He closed his eyes, ready to go back to sleep, but found them opening again, as he looked over at Grace. Finally, after a few moments of closing and reopening his eyes, he inched forward. He kissed her forehead gently, then drew back and watched her. After a few minutes, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him with a pleased smile.  
  
* * *  
  
Rick woke first. He moved as gently as he could, but Lily clung to his form, and his slightest movement jarred her awake. "Good morning," Rick said.  
  
Lily smiled back at him. "Good morning." She rolled back a bit, untangling her legs from his. She looked over at the window, which was coating a bright layer of frost. She turned her head back towards Rick. "Did we really do this? Did we really spend the night together, with all our kids under one roof?"  
  
Rick nodded. "I think it went well. They all get along together really well... especially Eli and Grace." He teased.  
  
Lily scrunched up her nose at him, "Don't even go there!"  
  
"How about some coffee then?" Rick asked, sitting up. "I think I remember from last time I spent the night where everything is. I'll bring it up to you." He got out of the bed.  
  
Lily smiled up at him. "That sounds nice."  
  
Rick looked around, and then found the robe he had brought with him draped over a chair. "I'll be right back."  
  
Rick walked down the stairs, liking how right this all seemed. Liking how he was getting used to Lily's house and even began to know which stairs creaked.  
  
[[Rick - I could live here... I really could.]]  
  
Rick was halfway down when he looked over at the sofa bed his son was sleeping on. He was three-fourths of the way down when he noticed another mound next to Eli under the blankets. He was at the bottom step when he realized what that meant.  
  
[[Rick - uh.....oh....]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you forget where it is?" Lily asked as Rick entered her room again. She was in the processing of getting dressed.  
  
Rick paused, distracted by her state of half-undress, and then shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. "Uh, I think there's something you should see."  
  
Lily's eyes widened and she finished getting dressed. Then she followed him down the stairs. She had to only go halfway down them before she realized what she was seeing... Eli and Grace sleeping next to each other in the couch pull out bed.  
  
[[Lily - Why didn't we think about this? Rick and I were so eager to have him and the kids stay over, that we didn't even pause to think what might happen... *shakes head* God, we practically invited this to happen! I mean, what couple--- Grace and Eli SAY they're not a couple, but *pointed look*--- what couple has their parents set things up so they get to spend a night together... unsupervised? We should have seen this coming.]]  
  
Lily went down the rest of the stairs quickly. Rick followed her. In the sofa bed, Eli was just beginning to stir.  
  
"Good morning." Lily said to them as she got to the end of the bed. There was no "good" in her tone.  
  
Eli opened his eyes, seeing Lily and his father staring down at him. His face crinkled up in confusion.  
  
"Grace." Lily said, and Eli opened his eyes a little wider, looking at the figure next to him.  
  
He sat up. "This isn't what it looks like..."  
  
"Grace!" Lily said again, louder this time.  
  
Grace's eyes opened. Realization hit her slowly. "Mom!"  
  
Eli climbed out of the bed, and Grace followed suit. "We were watching movies last night with Jessie and Zoe and we fell asleep," Eli explained.  
  
Lily and Rick looked at each other, each wondering what to believe.  
  
"It's true, mom." Grace said. "Zoe made us watch Titanic, and you know how long that movie is??"  
  
Lily folded her arms across her chest. "This is the truth?"  
  
"Why would I lie?" Grace asked nervously. She snuck a glance over at Eli.  
  
Lily and Rick looked at each other again, sharing a wondering look.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, how come no one woke us?" Zoe asked as she and Jessie entered the kitchen to find everyone else at the table, eating breakfast.  
  
Lily fixed the two of them plates of eggs, and toast. "We were just about to... before the food got cold."  
  
Zoe and Jessie joined the rest of them at the crowded table.  
  
Grace looked up, about to say something, but then didn't. Zoe looked at her sister quizzically.  
  
Finally Eli said, in a forced causal tone, "So, how come you two didn't wake Grace and me last night after the movie ended?"  
  
Jessie looked up, ready to answer, and found that her reply was being waited on by more than just Eli or Grace... Rick and Lily also looked very interested in what she had to say.  
  
"Why would we?" Zoe answered before Jessie could. "You two looked really cute sleeping there together."  
  
Zoe smiled, and caught the look on her mother's face. "What?"  
  
Lily turned away, and began putting dishes in the sink. Rick smiled over at Grace and Eli, now that their story had been confirmed, and the two of them began to breathe easier.  
  
[[Rick - Of course I believed them... when they said nothing happened, but... you can never be too sure of anything.]]  
  
[[Lily - Alright, so I doubted them....... *struggles on the words* I was wrong.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"So, I guess I'll see you at school," Grace said to Eli as he prepared to leave. Eli and Jessie were going to be spending the rest of their winter vacation at their aunt's house in Minnesota with their mother.  
  
"Yeah. It was... fun." Eli said about their night together.  
  
Grace smiled, "Yeah, if we leave out this morning. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on my mother's face when I woke up and found her looking down at me."  
  
"Yeah, that was pretty scary," Eli agreed. "Even my Dad had lost his usual calm expression."  
  
They smiled.  
  
[[Grace - It was nice.... If this is how having Rick move in is going to be... *smiles* I could get used to it.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace, are you two dating?"  
  
"Mom!" Grace cried in annoyance. "That's all anyone ever asks me anymore!"  
  
Lily was still waiting for the answer.  
  
"No, we're not." Grace said.  
  
Zoe, just coming into the living room, smiled over at them. "Did Grace get in trouble for sleeping with Eli?"  
  
Lily's eyes widened. "Mom, she means actual SLEEPING together," Grace assured her mother.  
  
"What else would I mean?" Zoe said with a roll of her eyes. Her question went unanswered though, even with the clarification. Zoe sank down on an easy chair, munching on an apple. "Jessie slept in my room. The bed wasn't too small for her."  
  
"That's nice," Lily said, distracted.  
  
"Where did Rick sleep?" Zoe asked. "With you?"  
  
"Yes, with me," Lily answered carefully.  
  
"Oh," Zoe said, not seeming to care.  
  
* * * 


	24. Confusing Signals

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, thanks for the reviews, as always! Oh, and by the way... I have another Eli/Grace series on my website (it has 4 chapters so far) called "Where do we go from here?"--- I haven't put it up on this site, since I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to update it, because I still have this series going. But, check it out if you want....... just click the link on my author's info under homepage  
  
p.s. Netty--- I made this chapter longer, just for you... where's my cookie? Lol. Oh, and the other thing about my writing Grace/Dimitri and then switching to Grace/Eli I actually started off writing Grace/Eli... my first Once and Again fanfic was G/E. And then they canceled the show, and I didn't write for a long time, and then I saw some reruns with Dimitri in them, and I started writing my Grace/Dimitri/Eli story "Life is what you make of it"-- but of course in that one Dimitri got the girl, but when I started writing it, I seriously didn't know which way it would go.... I love writing about them both!  
  
Chapter 24//Confusing Signals  
"Eli! How was Minnesota, my man?" Kevin called out.  
  
Eli turned to his friend in the school hallway, "It was okay."  
  
"Any hot girls?" Kevin asked, coming up beside his friend.  
  
Eli shrugged, "No, not really."  
  
"Last summer, I went to the Mall of America, and it was like, chicks- galore!"  
  
Eli opened his locker, taking out the books for his next class.  
  
"There was this red-head... she was just like... damn!" Kevin continued. "Like she had it all."  
  
Eli nodded vaguely.  
  
"How's your band coming along? Maybe I'll join.... then I can get all the chicks too," Kevin said, and played a little air guitar.  
  
"I thought you and Julie were..." Eli reminded him.  
  
Kevin ignored him, looking down the hall instead. "Is that... Grace Manning?"  
  
"Hmm?" Eli asked, looking in the direction Kevin was looking. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.  
  
[[Eli - *mouth open in surprise* I... Grace?]]  
  
Grace was walking down the hall, with her friends Julie and Ashley by her side, but Eli knew that everyone's eyes were most likely focused on Grace. He had never seen Grace look like that before. Eli had thought Grace was pretty, even beautiful... but right now she was striking. She was hot. Her hair hung in curly waves, something Eli had never seen on her before. And she was wearing a short black skirt, even though it was the middle of winter, and a dark pink lacy shirt. Her face looked a bit different, and as she got closer, Eli realized why... she was wearing makeup.  
  
[[Eli - She looks good, of course.... I just.. she doesn't look like Grace.]]  
  
Grace saw Eli, and broke from her friends, coming towards them.  
  
[[Grace - I feel like a whole new person... I like it... *smiles*]]  
  
"Hi Grace," Kevin said, looking her over.  
  
"Hi Kevin," Grace said, not noticing. She was looking at Eli, awaiting his reaction to her new look.  
  
[[Eli - *frowns* She's like a whole different person...]]  
  
Eli looked at Grace, unable to hide the frown from his face. Grace's smile faltered, and was replaced by a forced smaller smile. "Hi," She said to Eli.  
  
"Kevin!" Julie said from behind them, not liking the way her boyfriend-of-sorts was checking out her best friend. "Aren't we going to lunch?"  
  
Kevin reluctantly left.  
  
"So, how was the rest of your break?" Grace asked Eli, nervously. His failure to react positively to her new look had been like a punch in the gut.  
  
"It was good," Eli said uncomfortably. "Your's?"  
  
"Good. Good," Grace said.  
  
[[Grace - Why are guys so hard to understand??]]  
  
"Eli? Is something wrong?" Grace asked. She just couldn't take the look of disappointment and resentment on his face anymore. If he didn't like the way she looked, he should say it.  
  
"No," Eli answered, a little too sharply.  
  
Grace was silent, studying him with a hurt expression. She took a small step back, shaking her head slightly.  
  
[[Grace - *fidgety...trying to find the right words* We got so close.... we were closer than I've ever been with a guy before. And... it was really amazing. And for him to be... like this... it's like UGH!]]  
  
"Grace..." Eli began.  
  
[[Eli - Why do I keep doing this? Why am I so scared to let myself just FEEL for her? Would that be SO bad?]]  
  
"....Grace?"  
  
"Oh, hi, Mark," Grace said uneasily as Mark joined them.  
  
"I haven't talked to you in a while..." Mark said with a smile and Grace disliked the way his eyes were roaming over her. "Probably not since the party," Mark smiled.  
  
Grace shifted awkwardly as memories of kissing him at the party washed over her.  
  
"So, how are you?" Mark asked.  
  
"I'm fine." Grace looked to Eli, hoping he'd say something to get rid of Mark, but Eli was busy looking down at a notebook.  
  
"Listen, did you want to get together tonight?" Mark asked.  
  
Grace shook her head, "No... I'm busy."  
  
"Oh, well, another time, then." Mark said, disappointed. Mark walked away, Grace looked back at Eli.  
  
[[Grace - *about to burst* .....ELI?]]  
  
"I've got to go to class," Eli said when he looked up from his notebook.  
  
"Are... is Anti-inflammatory practicing tonight?" Grace asked quickly. She looked eagerly at Eli.  
  
"Uh, I'm not sure..." Eli hesitated. He turned, ready to walk away, but then stopped, looking over at the beautiful, sexy girl before him.  
  
[[Eli - I have to stop backing away from her... I can't let myself be too scared... I don't want to lose her.. *puts a hand on side of head, groans* Stop being a scared baby!]]  
  
"Actually, wait... we are." Eli told Grace, a hint of a smile on his face for the first time since Grace walked over to him. "You should come by... at six... at my mom's."  
  
Grace smiled, relieved. "Okay."  
  
[[Grace - *rolls eyes* .....GUYS!.... They are completely confusing! Is that like part of the rules for being a guy?]]  
  
* * *  
  
Karen set the table. Jessie walked by, and Karen called out, "Tell your brother that dinner is almost ready."  
  
Jessie wrinkled up her nose, "I think he's getting ready for practice."  
  
"Well, he needs to eat, doesn't he?" Karen said practically.  
  
"Yeah," Jessie said, "I'll tell him."  
  
Jessie went down the basements stairs to Eli's room. Eli was sitting on one of the couches, playing his guitar. "Mom wants you to know dinner is almost ready," Jessie told him when she was close enough for him to hear her.  
  
"Now?" Eli said with a groan. "The guys will be here soon. Can't you tell her that I'll eat afterwards?"  
  
Jessie rolled her eyes, "You think she's going to accept that?"  
  
"Right," Eli said, resigned. He set down his guitar and followed Jessie up the stairs.  
  
They sat down at the table with their mother, and Eli hurriedly ate his meal.  
  
"Eli," Karen said, looking over at him, "What's the rush?"  
  
Eli reluctantly slowed down. He was almost done when the doorbell rang. "That's probably them," He said to his mother, starting to get up out of his chair. He looked to his mother, who nodded.  
  
"Fine, fine," Karen said with annoyance. "I'd like to have a nice dinner with my beautiful son and daughter one of these days."  
  
"You will," Eli assured her, going to the door.  
  
"Hi," Grace said as Eli opened the door. "Am I early?"  
  
"No," Eli said quickly. "The guys aren't here yet, but that's okay." Eli looked at her, seeing that her hair was tied back in a ponytail, the makeup gone from her face, and her skirt changed to pants.  
  
Grace noticed him noticing her change of style, and smiled shyly.  
  
[[Eli - I like her better like this... earlier she was hot and sexy, but now, she's... Grace.]]  
  
"Come in," Eli said. They walked past the kitchen, and Eli tried to hurry past his mother, but no such luck.  
  
"Grace. Hi." Karen said, slightly surprised. She had been expecting Turk or John or Markie... not this girl who had suddenly become a big part of her son's life. "How was your winter break?"  
  
"Oh, it was great." Grace smiled. "Eli, Jessie, Zoe and I had a good time together on Christmas."  
  
Karen was taken back by Grace's words. She didn't realize that Rick had taken the kids over to Lily's on Christmas. "...You did?"  
  
"Yeah. Zoe is just crazy about Jessie. And Jessie is such a great girl," Grace said politely.  
  
"Yes, she is," Karen smiled at Grace, and then looked at Eli. "E, Can I talk to you, for just a minute?"  
  
Eli knew he was in for it. He looked at Grace, "I'll be down in a second."  
  
Grace nodded, looking back and forth between mother and son. She uneasily started down the basement steps by herself.  
  
Eli looked at his mother, waiting.  
  
"You went over there on Christmas?" Karen asked, once she was sure Grace was out of hearing range.  
  
Jessie, just entering the kitchen, froze nervously.  
  
"Dad didn't tell you?" Eli asked. He looked at Jessie, and they shared a nervous look.  
  
Karen saw Jessie, and took her plate from her, putting it in the sink. "No, and I don't know why he didn't. It's not a big deal, or anything. I would have liked to be informed of it, though."  
  
Jessie nodded, "I thought you knew. It wasn't a big thing. We just had dinner, and watched movies for most of the night. We didn't even have to buy them presents."  
  
"You watched movies for 'most of the night'?" Karen asked, sensing something was wrong with that sentence. "Just how long were you guys at Lily's?"  
  
Jessie looked at her hands, and Eli spit it out, "We spent the night."  
  
Karen looked away. She began rinsing off the dishes.  
  
[[Karen- Why wouldn't he tell me? How could he not say anything? They slept at Lily's house... they all slept over at her house... what does that mean?]]  
  
"Mom?" Jessie asked nervously.  
  
Karen turned back to her kids. "If your father calls, tell him I need to speak with him."  
  
"It wasn't a big deal!" Eli insisted.  
  
Karen raised her eyebrows and looked at her son. "Eli--"  
  
The doorbell rang. That would be the guys of the band. Karen sighed, shaking her head, "Go, go practice."  
  
Eli left.  
  
* * *  
  
Karen finished the dishes and tidied up the kitchen a bit. She kept sneaking glances at the phone, and finally couldn't take it anymore, and picked it up. She dialed Rick's number.  
  
"Hello?" Rick answered.  
  
"Hi," Karen said, her anger coming across in that one syllable.  
  
"Hi Karen, what's up?" Rick asked, apprehensively.  
  
"What's up?" Karen repeated, annoyed. "How come you didn't tell me about the spending the night at Lily's on Christmas?"  
  
Rick leaned back in his chair, sighing, "I guess I thought it didn't matter. The kids had no problems with it."  
  
Karen fumed. "Of course they said they didn't, but how can you trust that?"  
  
"Karen, it went good, believe me. They had fun," Rick assured her.  
  
"How you not tell me?" Karen asked angrily. "What were you thinking?"  
  
Rick carefully answered, "I was thinking-- Lily and I were thinking that it would give the kids a chance to bond, and it would be taking the next step in our relationship."  
  
"Haven't you already had sex?" Karen asked sarcastically.  
  
"It wasn't about that, Karen," Rick said, annoyed.  
  
"Rick, I don't even know what to say to you about this..." Karen frowned into the phone, "Just know that I'm very disappointed."  
  
The doorbell rang once again.  
  
Karen looked over at it. "Rick, I have to go. But this is not over."  
  
"Bye," Rick said, relived.  
  
Karen hung up the phone and answered the door, finding her boyfriend, Leo, standing on her doorstep.  
  
"You don't look happy to see me," Leo stated.  
  
Karen forced a smile, "No, I am. I am. Come in."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, did you guys get in trouble for... sleeping together?" Jessie asked Grace when the boys had stopped playing for a few minutes.  
  
Grace rolled her eyes, "No... I mean, what can they do? All we did was sleep in the same bed. It was no big deal."  
  
Jessie smiled, drawing her knees up to her chin. "You two looked so cute sleeping next to each other."  
  
Grace blushed slightly, "Really?"  
  
Jessie nodded.  
  
[[Jessie - Okay, I don't get why they aren't dating already... I mean, they're like perfect for each other! I've never seen Eli this hung up on a girl before... it's cool. *smiles* And know that I know Grace better, I can see that she would really make my brother happy... and he needs that.]]  
  
"Can I tell you a secret?" Grace asked.  
  
"Yeah," Jessie answered.  
  
Grace looked over at Eli and the rest of the band, but they were busy working on a new song. Grace lowered her voice anyways, just in case. "I woke up... that night. And I saw that we were sleeping in the same bed, but... I liked it, you know? He made me feel comforted and safe. And so I just went back to sleep..."  
  
Jessie smiled. "So why aren't you dating him again?"  
  
Grace's face twisted up, "I swear... if I hear one more person say something like that..."  
  
Jessie paused, not knowing whether to continue on the subject. Finally she said, "Well, it is a REALLY good question, Grace."  
  
Grace looked over at Eli, who was grinning and goofing around with Markie. She smiled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."  
  
[[Grace - I really like Eli... and I think he likes me... So, why aren't we dating?? It is a good question.]]  
  
Grace thought this over, and kept coming back to that one kiss she and Eli had shared. Grace looked at Jessie. "Okay, there's something you don't know..."  
  
"What?" Jessie asked, eagerly. She leaned closer to Grace in anticipation.  
  
"Eli and I kissed... at that first dinner at my house." Grace said. Jessie's eyebrows went up. Grace continued, "It was a teeny tiny kiss... and afterwards, Eli didn't even say anything to me about it."  
  
Jessie sighed, "I guess my brother is a typical guy after all."  
  
"And then... when we were at Perkin's... I said something about the kiss being meaningless-- you know, just to see what he thought-- and he agreed with me!" Grace sighed.  
  
"What?" Jessie shook her head. "Grace, that's what you're letting stop you from dating my brother?"  
  
"Well... if he thought the kiss meant nothing, then why would he want to date me?" Grace asked.  
  
"Grace!" Jessie cried. The boys began to play again. Jessie took Grace's hand and led her up the stairs and past the living room where her mother and Leo were cuddling on the sofa, and to Jessie's room.  
  
Grace looked around curiously... she had never been in Jessie's room before. But Jessie drew her attention back with her words.  
  
"Grace, Eli didn't think the kiss was meaningless!" Jessie insisted.  
  
"He said---" Grace began, but Jessie cut her off.  
  
"Grace, Eli will say anything to protect himself from getting hurt," Jessie informed her. "You said, you thought the kiss was meaningless, and he agreed... but not because he actually thought that! But because he thought YOU thought it was meaningless!"  
  
"Oh," Grace took this in. It made sense. She looked at Jessie gratefully, "How come you understand it so much better than me, and you weren't even there?"  
  
Jessie shrugged, with a pleased smile.  
  
[[Grace - Thank God for Jessie.]]  
  
Grace grinned joyfully. This all made sense... And now, what was stopping her and Eli from getting together? NOTHING. Unless, of course... Eli started backing away from her again, like earlier today.  
  
There was a knock on Jessie's door.  
  
"Come in!" Jessie called out.  
  
Eli poked his head in. "Did Grace go..." Eli noticed Grace sitting on Jessie's bed. "Oh, I thought you had left." Eli entered the room. "Did you come here to hang out with me or my sister?" Eli joked.  
  
Grace looked at Jessie and they shared a smile. "Oh, I came here to hang with Jessie, of course."  
  
"Fine, than I'll just have to go to the basement by myself," Eli said lightly, and slowly left the room.  
  
Grace looked over at Jessie, who signaled for her to follow Eli. "Go," Jessie whispered.  
  
Grace stood up, and walked after Eli, her heart beating a mile a minute. Eli turned around in the hallway and waited for her. "Is practice over?" Grace asked.  
  
"Yeah, the other guys went home," Eli said, as he and Grace headed towards the stairs down to the basement.  
  
"Oh, what time is it?" Grace asked, remembering her mother telling her to be back at nine pm.  
  
"Uh, 8:45," Eli answered.  
  
"I have to be home by nine," Grace told him.  
  
"Well, then I'll go get my mom's keys," Eli said, and went in the living room, and came back with the keys. He and Grace got in the car, and Eli drove towards her house. When he had parked in the driveway, Grace turned to him.  
  
"Eli..."  
  
"Yeah?" Eli looked over at her with intense eyes.  
  
"I didn't think our kiss was meaningless..." Grace said, after a deep breath.  
  
[[Grace - Okay, I said it....]]  
  
Eli took in her words. He looked deep in her eyes, "Me neither."  
  
[[Eli - Okay, I said it...]]  
  
Grace smiled, pleased. "I've got to get inside," She said reluctantly.  
  
Eli nodded, "Yes."  
  
Grace unbuckled her seatbelt and left the car. She threw a lingering look back at him when she got to her door.  
  
[[Grace - Now... will we........]]  
  
Eli watched her go inside, letting out a deep breath.  
  
[[Eli - Now... are we going to.....]]  
  
[[Grace/Eli (word overlaps).... date....?]]  
  
* * * 


	25. Getting to the Point

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Wow, chapter 25 already... 25 chapters in one month aint bad. 90-some reviews for 25 chapters is amazing!! Thanks for all the encouragement!!! It's much appreciated!  
  
Chapter 25//Getting to the Point  
  
"Eli?" Cassidy asked, as she approached him in the hallway. "Have you been avoiding me?"  
  
Eli looked over at her reluctantly, "Uh... no, not really. I've just been busy."  
  
Cassidy pouted, "We had such fun at my party, and then you left with Grace."  
  
Eli looked at his watch, hoping Cassidy would take the hint and leave, but she continued, "I don't know why you wanted to hang with your STEPSISTER, and not me..."  
  
"Grace isn't my stepsister... she's... our parent's aren't married," Eli said hastily.  
  
Cassidy inched forward. "But they will probably get married someday, and so why are you even bothering with her?"  
  
Eli looked around the crowded hallway, he lowered his voice, "That is none of your business, okay? I like Grace, and no, we're NOT dating, but even if we were... it wouldn't be a big deal. Our parent's would be cool with it."  
  
[[Eli - *shrugs* That sounds about right... it could happen.]]  
  
Cassidy rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Eli. Now I see what Jen meant when she said you were a loser. God, if you'd rather date some geeky freshman-- who's going to be your sister someday, than go ahead!"  
  
Cassidy said all that really loudly, and Eli sighed as he noticed many eyes on him. Cassidy gave him a sneer and walked away.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, you and Eli are DATING? How come you didn't tell us!?" Sarah cried as Grace came up to their table.  
  
"We're not--" Grace started.  
  
"Yeah, I had to find out from Lora," Julie interrupted. "I pretended like I knew, though, because I'm your best friend, and I'm supposed to know this stuff!"  
  
"If we were dating, you'd know," Grace answered, opening her milk carton. "And we're not."  
  
Ashley rolled her eyes, "Grace, the whole school is talking about it... after first period Eli told every one in the hallway that he was dating you, or something... that's what I heard."  
  
Grace laughed, "Why would he say something like that, if it's not true?"  
  
Her friends looked at each other, doubtfully.  
  
"So, you're really not dating him?" Julie asked.  
  
"Nope," Grace answered. She looked up, and saw Eli standing in the doorway to the cafeteria, motioning at her. Grace stood up. "I've got to go to the library. I'll see you guys later."  
  
Her friends watched her hurry away, and exit into the hallway with Eli. Julie rolled her eyes, turning back around in her chair. "She's SO dating him."  
  
"Oh, yeah," Ashley and Sarah agreed together.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace and Eli made their way down the empty hall, and went up the first set of stairs, stopping at the window seat between the levels. They sat down, looking at each other.  
  
Grace broke into a smile, "So, apparently everyone thinks we're dating."  
  
Eli smiled back, "Yeah, it looks that way."  
  
They lapsed into comfortable silence, looking out the window.  
  
"Grace?" Eli asked, drawing her eyes back to him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Would it be so weird if we were going to date?" Eli said, shifting in his seat.  
  
Grace paused, not sure what to say.  
  
"I mean... do you think you think our parents would have a problem with it?" Eli asked.  
  
[[Grace - OF COURSE! You know my mother, right? She'd make a huge deal about it!]]  
  
Grace smiled slightly, "No, not really." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I mean, it's not like it's wrong, even if they were to get married. And, we should be allowed to make our own choices."  
  
"Yes," Eli agreed. He reached out and tucked the resistant strand off hair back behind her ear again. He and Grace looked at each other. Eli didn't move his hand away, instead he ran his fingers from her smooth hair to her neck. He leaned forward.  
  
[[Grace - ...*surprised, but delighted...makes a happy squeal*]]  
  
"I'm going to kiss you now," Eli said when his face came within inches of hers.  
  
"Okay," Grace mumbled, looking at his lips.  
  
Eli surged forward, taking away the last remaining inches between them. Their lips met, sliding against each other, slowly and hesitantly at first, but then gently breaking into a hurried rhythm.  
  
[[Grace - *jumps out of chair, excited*]]  
  
Eli's hands grasped the sides of her face gently, and Grace felt her own hands sneaking up to touch his back lightly. Their kisses continued, as they both found delight in the other's lips.  
  
[[Eli - it was like...]]  
  
[[Grace - *still standing up*.... magic! It was...]]  
  
[[Eli - ....perfect.]]  
  
They broke finally, as they heard some kids talking in the hallway. They studied each other, almost shyly.  
  
"So, I kissed you..." Eli said finally.  
  
Grace smiled happily, "I kissed you back."  
  
"You did," Eli stated.  
  
"Oh, so you did notice?" Grace teased.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed," Eli said, taking a deep breath. His eyes were intense as he looked at her.  
  
Grace smiled to herself, and looked down at her hands. "So, what does this mean?" She asked, and then regretted it. Guys didn't like being asked questions like that. But Eli didn't seem to mind.  
  
"I'm not sure," Eli said. "I guess, it means that... something's happening."  
  
"Between us?" Grace asked quietly. She looked up into Eli's eyes.  
  
"Yes." Eli reached out, and touched her hand lightly. Grace turned her hand over and their fingers interlocked.  
  
Grace looked down at their connected hands with a smile.  
  
* * *  
  
"You didn't tell Karen?" Lily asked in surprise. She turned to Rick, her mouth ajar.  
  
Rick busied himself helping Lily put away her groceries. "I didn't think I needed to."  
  
Lily watched him go about the kitchen. She leaned against the counter, her arms crossed. Rick put away the last item and turned back to her. They looked at each other in silence.  
  
Finally Lily broke the stillness, "How can you expect our relationship to advance if you can't even tell your ex-wife that you and your kids stayed over here for one night?"  
  
Rick was thoughtful, "I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm not asking for an apology," Lily said firmly. "I just need you to see what you're doing... instead of moving forward, you're taking baby steps back."  
  
"I didn't mean to... not tell her. I just didn't get around to doing it," Rick argued.  
  
Lily looked at him with a pointed look. Rick caved, "Alright, I was afraid to tell her. I thought she wouldn't like it."  
  
"She's NOT going to like it... or most things concerning me, Rick. But, we have to put that aside, and concentrate on us." Lily said.  
  
Rick nodded. "You're right."  
  
Lily began cutting up lettuce for a dinner salad. She noticed Rick's eyes on her and looked up.  
  
"Is that what you're doing?" Rick asked gently.  
  
"What?" Lily asked, putting down the knife she was using.  
  
"Are you trying to move forward with us?" Rick moved closer to her.  
  
"Yes, of course. It was my idea to have them spend the night," Lily reminded him.  
  
"I'm not talking about our kids... Lily, have you signed the divorce papers?" Rick asked.  
  
Lily frowned, "That's not fair. You know I want to talk it over with my kids, before it becomes official."  
  
"I know, I know," Rick said, seeming to back off the topic. But then he said, "So what's stopping you from talking to them about it?"  
  
Lily looked thoughtful.  
  
[[Lily - I haven't been putting it off. No... why would I do that? I knew it was over with Jake a long time ago, and the girls know that too... So, what would be stopping me from finishing this?]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, dinner's ready?" Grace asked as she and Zoe came in after their dad dropped them off to find the table set. "I'm starving."  
  
"Didn't you eat at the restaurant?" Lily asked, as she and Rick carried the food into the dining room.  
  
"No, I wasn't hungry, then," Grace explained. "But I am now."  
  
"Did your father have anything for you to tell me?" Lily asked, not looking at Rick.  
  
"No," Grace said. "Was there something he was supposed to tell you?"  
  
"No," Lily said quickly.  
  
"But, he did say that you guys are going to be officially divorced soon," Grace said, as she filled her plate up with food.  
  
"He did?" Lily asked.  
  
Grace nodded, sitting down. She looked over at her mother, who was staring at her with concern. "Mom, I'm fine with it. I mean, we all knew this was going to happen."  
  
Rick stirred in his seat, as the conversation went on around him. He concentrated on eating his food.  
  
"Mom, how soon after getting divorced do you have to wait before you get married?" Zoe asked. Rick looked up.  
  
"Oh, honey. I think you can get married as soon as you want," Lily looked over at Rick. "But, Zoe, that's not going to happen for a while." Rick looked down.  
  
"Oh, I wasn't talking about you and Rick," Zoe informed them. "I meant for Daddy and Tiffany."  
  
"OH," Lily said in surprise. She looked over at Grace, who looked away.  
  
[[Grace - I don't think my dad and Tiffany are going to get married... like Tiffany's nice and everything, but... I just don't see my father marrying her.]]  
  
"Anyone want some more salad?" Lily asked.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi," Grace said as she stepped inside the apartment.  
  
"My Dad's not here," Eli said as he noticed her looking around. "He's at work still."  
  
"Oh," Grace said. She and Eli looked at each other.  
  
"Did you want to hear my new song?" Eli asked.  
  
Grace nodded, and she followed him up the stairs to his room. She had been in there before, but this time felt different... everything felt different between them since their kiss at school. But, it was a good different, and Grace liked the way her heart was beating loudly in anticipation as they reached his room.  
  
Eli closed his bedroom door behind her and they looked at each other. They stood like that for a few moments, and then they stepped closer together, bringing their lips against each other. They kissed hungrily, and needingly.  
  
* * *  
  
Alone in her room, Lily took out a folder from her desk drawer. She opened it, and picked up a pen. She hesitated, and then signed her name on the indicated line.  
  
[[Lily - It's done... it's over...]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Jake?" Tiffany asked, as she entered the bathroom. The shower was running, and Jake's head poked out of the curtain.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Tiffany sat down on the toilet seat cover. She twisted her hands together. "I kind of have something I have to tell you."  
  
Jake had retreated back into the shower, "What is it?" He called out as he lathered up his hair.  
  
Tiffany dropped her hands from her lap and looked down at her feet. "Uh, it's something important."  
  
Jake stepped under the water, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair.  
  
Tiffany stood up, and went over to the sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "And I don't think you're going to like it... but I feel I have to tell you. I'm not asking that you be a part of it, I just..."  
  
Jake turned off the shower and stepped out, drying himself with a towel. "Well, what is it?"  
  
Tiffany looked at him. "Don't be mad... but I'm pregnant."  
  
Jake's mouth dropped open. "You're what?" He asked in disbelief.  
  
"I said 'don't be mad'," Tiffany reminded him.  
  
"I'm not mad," Jake said. "I just... I thought we were careful."  
  
"We were, but it happened." Tiffany took a deep breath, looking at him carefully, trying to judge his reaction. "You don't have to be a part of the baby's life. I'm not asking for that."  
  
"Uh, okay," Jake said unsurely.  
  
[[Jake - I don't... uh... I don't know if I can go through it all again... diapers, and crying and bottles... *rests face in hands*....this wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was. I... Tiffany was only supposed to be a one night stand, but then I just kept seeing her...... and now we're here.]]  
  
Tiffany let out a breath of relief, "Woo... I'm glad I told you, because it was just like weighing heavily on me." She put a hand on her chest, "And I was so frightened you'd get mad at me, but you aren't... oh..." Tiffany moved in to kiss him.  
  
Jake stepped away. "I've got to get dressed."  
  
[[Jake - *sighs* What does she expect from me? Does she want me to ask her to marry me, because I don't think I can do that... I.. I just got out of a marriage, and now because she's pregnant, am I supposed to get in another one? *sigh*]]  
  
Tiffany followed him. "Jake?"  
  
Jake put on his clothes. "Tiff... I don't think I can marry you."  
  
"I'm not asking for that! I'm not asking for anything!" Tiffany insisted.  
  
"But you want something right?" Jake asked, angrily. "You want me to be the Dad, and support the child, and marry you... right?"  
  
"Jake, that's not what I want!"  
  
"What do you want?" Jake asked, his voice weary.  
  
"I only want to you to do what you want... that's all," Tiffany said. "It's up to you whether you want to be there... but either way, I'm having this baby. With or without you around."  
  
Jake sighed, slumping down to sit on his bed.  
  
[[Jake - *thoughtful silence*]]  
  
* * *  
  
Grace and Eli broke from their kiss.  
  
"So, do I get to hear the new song?" Grace asked.  
  
"Yeah, of course," Eli picked up his guitar and started playing.  
  
Grace watched him with a smile.  
  
[[Grace - So... I never thought this would happen. That'd I be here with him. And that he'd like me back. *smiles* And now it has happened, and I still don't quite believe it.]]  
  
[[Eli - I would have never thought, at the beginning of the year, that I'd be dating Grace Manning... *smiles* But it feels right...]]  
  
* * * 


	26. Official Endings and Beginnings

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Okay, here comes another girl to mess with Eli & Grace... lol. First Jen, then Cassidy, and now..... Carla. Oh, course on the show she didn't come in till the second season, but whatever. :)  
  
Chapter 26//Official Endings and Beginnings  
  
"So, what Trawler is saying here is that you don't have to conform to be happy... in fact, those that don't conform to society's idealism are probably the happiest people."  
  
Eli looked across the table at Grace, who was looking down at the book in front of her. Grace was trying to help him write a paper, but Eli kept being distracted by her beauty. As Eli watched her, Grace reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, reminding him of their second kiss by the window at school.  
  
"And, on page 54, there's an important paragraph that starts off: 'Those who view the world, see further than those who don't. And those that sense the world view the world in an overall means. So those that sense, whether their eyes are open to everything about them, can see better than those with a clear vision......"  
  
Eli nodded, jotting down the page number 54 on his opened page of notebook paper, but his eyes were on her. He watched her mouth speak until he could no longer make sense of what words her lips were forming... he could only see her full lips moving elegantly.  
  
[[Eli - She's amazing.]]  
  
"I'd refer back to that paragraph in your paper, because it basically says his whole viewpoint of the book..." Grace said, looking up from the book, and finding Eli staring at her. Grace looked away, almost shyly, and then found herself looking back into his hazel eyes.  
  
[[Grace - He's amazing.]]  
  
Eli leaned across the table, and Grace met him halfway, but she paused before their lips met. "Maybe you need a different tutor... maybe one who's not so attracted to her pupil," Grace said with a smile.  
  
Eli shook his head, "This seems to be working nicely."  
  
Grace shook her head in amusement, but Eli just smiled and moved forward over the last few inches. They kissed softly, looking at each other through their open eyes.  
  
"Grace? Zoe?"  
  
Grace pulled back, slumping into her chair with a frown. Eli sat back too and they looked over as Lily came into the kitchen.  
  
"Grace, you're here," Lily said, setting down the bag of groceries she carried. "Oh, hi, Eli."  
  
"Hi... uh, Lily," Eli said, picking up his pencil. "Grace is just helping me on a paper."  
  
"Oh, that's nice," Lily said, seeming distracted. She left the room.  
  
Grace and Eli turned back to each other, and Grace shrugged.  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace, don't eat that!" Lily cried, taking the serving bowl of rice away from her daughter.  
  
"I'm hungry," Grace complained, setting down the spoon she had been using. "When are we going to eat? Are we waiting for Rick?"  
  
Zoe came into the dining room, and Lily looked at her two girls. "No, actually, we're waiting for your father."  
  
"Dad's eating with us?" Grace asked in confusion. She looked at her mother who nodded.  
  
"Is he bringing Tiffany?" Zoe asked.  
  
"No, it will just be us..." Lily said, and went over to the table, where she replaced the bowl of rice Grace had been eating from.  
  
Grace looked down.  
  
[[Grace - So... it's like obvious that they're going to tell us something... why else would they want to have dinner with all four of us together.... So, I guess it's really happened.................they're divorced. *doesn't know how to react*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Jake?" Lily questioned at dinner, after they had finished the meal.  
  
Jake looked up with a start, and then nodded at Lily. "Uh, Grace... Zoe. Your mother and I have some news to tell you."  
  
Lily didn't like the way he was handling it and stepped in, "It's something you've known was coming, and we wanted to talk to you together about it... to make sure that you understand nothing's going to change... your father and I are still your parents, and---"  
  
Grace cut her off, "So, the divorce is official?"  
  
"Yeah," Jake said gently.  
  
Grace nodded, "Can I be excused? I have to call Julie about our English project."  
  
"Grace, don't you want to talk about this?" Lily asked in dismay.  
  
Grace shrugged, "What's there to talk about? You're divorced. I already heard your speeches when you first separated... I know how it goes: 'We'll still be here for you, even if we aren't together anymore'... 'this isn't about you, it's about us'... So can I be excused?"  
  
Jake nodded, and Lily looked at him, her eyes narrowed. Grace left the room gratefully.  
  
"So, are you going to marry Tiffany?" Zoe piped up from her seat after a break of silence.  
  
Jake swallowed, finding his throat had gone dry, and picked up his glass of water, taking a big gulp.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, it's really happening..." Grace said into the phone later that night.  
  
On her end, Julie said, "Wow, that's SO cool."  
  
Grace leaned back, smiling to herself. "I know... I can't believe I'm dating Eli!"  
  
"Do your parents know?" Julie asked.  
  
"No, not yet, but they already thought we were dating, so it shouldn't be too bad to tell them," Grace said, adding 'hopefully' in her mind.  
  
"Well, at least your mom's divorced now, so she'll be too busy planning on getting married and moving with Rick to give you crap about Eli..." Julie said in a joking tone.  
  
"Oh God, I hope not," Grace said with a grimace. "I don't want to be Eli's stepsister yet..."  
  
"Maybe your mom and Rick will break up?" Julie said.  
  
"Maybe," Grace said, then thought about it, "NO... that wouldn't happen. They are SO much in love, it's disgusting."  
  
* * *  
  
Jake rolled over in his bed, giving himself space. Tiffany slept on, oblivious to his departure from her side. Jake looked at the ceiling, his thoughts weighing heavily on his mind. He looked over at the woman sharing his bed, and sighed.  
  
[[Jake - What am I going to do??]]  
  
* * *  
  
Lily rolled over, inching closer to Rick. Rick shifted slightly, "Good morning."  
  
Lily smiled, looking at him in the morning light. "Good morning."  
  
Rick kissed her neck, "How does it feel to be an unmarried woman?"  
  
Lily sunk into his kisses. "Very nice... but I was afraid that once I became divorced, you'd lose your thrill of seducing a married woman," She joked.  
  
"Oh, no... The attraction's still there," Rick assured her, bringing his lips to hers.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace went to the hall closet to get a towel for her shower, and heard a sting of noises she'd rather not hear coming from her mother's bedroom... Rick must have spent the night. Grace grabbed a towel and hurried back to her bathroom.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hi," Eli said happily as Grace joined him in the hallway. They both looked around quickly, looking for any teachers or authority figures, and finding the coast was clear, they snuck a quick kiss.  
  
Cassidy, passing by in the hall, shot them a harsh look, but she went unnoticed by the couple, who were too busy looking into each other's eyes.  
  
"What are you doing Friday?" Eli asked.  
  
"Friday..." Grace mind was blank. "Nothing, I think."  
  
"Good, then you can come to Anti-inflammatory's gig." Eli said with a sly grin.  
  
Grace's eyes widened in delight, "You have a gig!?"  
  
Eli nodded, "Yeah, my mom's boyfriend, Leo, got it for us. It doesn't pay anything, but it's still an opportunity for us to be heard."  
  
"Eli, that's so great!" Grace cried.  
  
"Yeah, we're kind of psyched about it. And I need my inspiration there with me," Eli said, looking at Grace with a smile.  
  
Grace grinned back. "I'll be there."  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, shit!" *bang* "Come on!" *bang* *bang*  
  
Grace watched in alarm as the girl hit the soda machine angrily. She looked over at her friend Julie who bore a similar expression on her face. Julie began pushing Grace to the left gently, planning on going around this angry girl. But the girl turned to them, her large brown eyes frantic.  
  
"Do either of you have fifty cents?" The girl asked. "I NEED some caffeine, or I'll just die!"  
  
Julie shook her head, her lip turning up slightly in disgust. The girl didn't seem to notice, and looked to Grace, her eyes pleading.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I think I do..." Grace dug into her backpack, ignoring the glare from Julie. Grace found two quarters, and gave them to the girl, who gave her a huge grateful smile.  
  
"Thanks! Oh, you saved my life. I owe you..." The girl deposited the coins into the machine and let out a breath of relief as her Coca Cola fell out with a clank. She looked once more at Grace, "Thanks. I mean it."  
  
"It was no big deal," Grace said, but the girl was already walking down the hallway.  
  
Julie turned back to Grace. "I can't believe you!"  
  
"What? It was only fifty cents." Grace said with a shrug.  
  
Julie rolled her eyes, "Yeah and she's only a drug addict..."  
  
Grace paused, "Really?"  
  
Julie nodded, "That was Carla... she just spent a couple of months in rehab, and she got kicked out of her last school... she's screwed up."  
  
[[Grace - *wide eyed* I don't think I've ever known anyone who's that.... bad.]]  
  
"Oh," Grace said quietly and they began walking again.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, hey!" A voice called.  
  
Grace turned, thinking at first it might be Eli, but she saw instead it was Carla coming down the empty hallway toward her.  
  
"Grace, right?" Carla asked as she got near her.  
  
Grace nodded, surprised that this girl knew her name.  
  
Carla smiled easily, "Whatcha doing?"  
  
Grace smiled uncomfortably, "Uh, going home."  
  
"Hmmm... and then what?" Carla asked, slinging an arm over Grace's shoulders.  
  
"Uh, nothing... maybe homework or something," Grace said uneasily.  
  
"I owe you," Carla said matter-of-factorly. "So, how about I pick you up tonight... say 7?"  
  
Grace looked at this stranger in surprise, "Uh, what?"  
  
[[Grace - *confused* She's not like me... or any of my friends... why would I hang out with her? *long pause* But, she's interesting, and different......]]  
  
"Oh, come on... it'll be fun." Carla moved away, and started down the hallway, "Seven, okay?"  
  
"Uh," Grace mumbled, watching the girl walk away.  
  
Carla laughed, "I'm not as bad as you probably heard! I'll see you at seven!"  
  
Grace nodded, or something to the effect, and Carla disappeared around a corner.  
  
[[Grace - Oh my God... what did I just get myself into?]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Actually, I have to get off the phone soon," Grace said into the phone.  
  
"Oh, okay," Eli said on his end. "Homework?"  
  
"Uh, no," Grace said, glancing at the clock: 6:57pm. "It's something else."  
  
"Okay," Eli said. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then..."  
  
"Yeah," Grace said, hearing a horn beep in the street. She went to the window, saying goodbye into the phone. Eli said goodbye, and she clicked the phone off absentmindedly as she spotted Carla's face through the windshield of a rusty brown car. Grace hurried out of her room and down the stairs.  
  
Her mother and Rick were snuggled up on the couch together. Grace paused, setting the phone down on a table, and said quickly, "Mom, I'm going out with my friend now..."  
  
"Okay, honey," Her mother said, her voice sleepy, "Don't studied too late, now, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Grace said, smiling. She was lucky her mother was distracted with Rick's presence, or she'd want to meet Grace's friend, and Grace wasn't sure how her mother would take to Carla.  
  
[[Grace - My mother would HATE Carla... I can just tell... *smiles*]]  
  
Grace slipped her coat on and exited to her driveway. She ran over to Carla's car and got in.  
  
"I thought you'd wuss out," Carla said, smiling at her appreciatively.  
  
Grace got in the car, pulling the seatbelt over her and smiled. "No, I'm here."  
  
Carla grinned, "Alright, let's have some fun!"  
  
* * * 


	27. Selfish Notions

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 27//Selfish Notions  
  
"So, they are like really good, and they even got a gig," Grace said to her mother in the kitchen before school.  
  
"That's great, honey," Lily said, finishing up making Zoe's lunch. "Zoe! Hurry up, or you'll be late!" She called.  
  
Grace leaned forward, resting her hands on the island as she talked to her mother. "It's this Friday... at a really cool coffee bar place. And I really want to go."  
  
"Oh!" Lily said, understanding. She looked up at her daughter, unsure. "I'll have to think about it... what time is it at?"  
  
"Uh, 10... but it's not a school night, so I thought it would be cool." Grace nervously awaited her mother's answer. If she didn't get to go to Eli's band's first gig, she'd be crushed.  
  
"Well, why don't we all go?" Lily said, smiling. "I'm sure Rick and Jessie will be there too... it will be fun."  
  
Grace's shoulders slumped at this, but she knew better than to try and fight it. She forced a smile, "Yeah, fun."  
  
"What's fun?" Zoe asked, coming into the room.  
  
"Oh, we're going to Eli's band, Anti-in..." Lily looked to Grace.  
  
"Anti-inflammatory," Grace supplied.  
  
"We're going to their gig on Friday," Lily told Zoe. Zoe smiled. Grace looked away with a sigh.  
  
[[Grace - Now it's turned into another 'family date'... Eli and I won't even be able to kiss or anything, with our parents there..... *sighs*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Don't you wish the snow would melt sooner?" Eli asked, coming up behind Grace on the school lawn. He began to lean in to kiss Grace, but she turned and waved at her mother, who was still parked at the curb. Eli noticed Lily watching and stopped. "So, when do you think we should break it to them?"  
  
"I don't know," Grace said, the thought of it tiring her. "I guess it doesn't really matter... since they already thought we were dating earlier, but--- I just want to keep us secret for a while... have this for myself, and not have to share it with my family yet.... does that sound selfish?"  
  
"No, not at all," Eli said. He turned his head, watching Lily drive around the corner, and then turned back to Grace, kissing her softly.  
  
Grace kissed him back, his touch warming her in the slightly chilly February air.  
  
"Grace!"  
  
Grace and Eli reluctantly broke, and looked at the newcomer.  
  
"Hi Carla," Grace said, smiling at her friend, even though Carla had interrupted a nice moment.  
  
Eli looked at Grace in confusion, and Grace realized she hadn't mentioned her new friendship with Carla to him yet.  
  
[[Grace - I didn't purposely not tell him.... it just didn't come up. I.... *confused look* I kind of didn't want to tell him either... I didn't know what he'd say. I mean, Carla's a very out-there girl.]]  
  
"Uh, Carla, this is my boyfriend, Eli," Grace introduced them.  
  
"Hey," Carla said, waving at Eli. "I like your hair."  
  
Eli touched his spiked hair lightly and smiled unsurely at Carla. "Uh, thanks."  
  
"So, Grace... I brought that CD you wanted to hear. We could go listen to it in the language lab," Carla said, turning her attention back to Grace.  
  
"Now?" Grace asked, surprised. She looked up at Eli, who looked slightly confused by Carla's sudden appearance in Grace's life.  
  
[[Eli - She never mentioned a friend named Carla... And I've heard of Carla... she's not like Grace's other friends.]]  
  
"Yeah! We still have--" Carla checked her watch, "Seven minutes before class. We could listen to maybe two whole songs."  
  
Grace looked back at Eli, who shrugged. "I should probably try and find Markie anyway."  
  
"Okay," Grace said hesitantly. She started to follow Carla, but stopped, "So, I'll see you at lunch?"  
  
"Yeah, lunch." Eli agreed. Grace and Carla left, laughing together over something. Eli watched them go, scratching his head.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, he's cute!" Carla said as they sat in the language lab, with the headphones on, listening to the CD.  
  
"Huh?" Grace asked, pulling the headphones off her ears.  
  
"Your boyfriend!" Carla cried, not bothering to remove her own headphones... just talking over the loud music. "He's hot!"  
  
"Thanks," Grace said, with a smile.  
  
"So, your parents are dating?" Carla asked loudly.  
  
Grace nodded. She looked at the clock, and pointed out the time to Carla. Carla took off the headphones and took out her CD from the computer drive. They left the lab.  
  
"So, he might be your stepbrother someday?" Carla continued.  
  
"Yeah..." Grace said softly.  
  
"Are you still going to date him after your parents get married?" Carla asked, snapping her gum.  
  
"Of course!" Grace cried. Then, as an afterthought, "Why wouldn't I?"  
  
Carla shrugged, "I dunno... it just might be weird, is all."  
  
"It's already weird." Grace said, stopping as they reached her classroom.  
  
"I'll see you at lunch," Carla said as she began to move down the hall.  
  
"I'm eating with Eli," Grace informed her.  
  
Carla shrugged with a wicked grin, "So, I don't mind if you kiss in front of me..."  
  
Grace watched her disappear down the hall and escaped into her classroom, just as the bell was ringing.  
  
* * *  
  
"I thinking of getting a job..." Lily said to Rick as they had lunch together.  
  
"You already have a job..." Rick reminded her.  
  
Lily took a bite of her sandwich. "I know, but the bookstore doesn't have enough money to support me anymore."  
  
They sat in silence a few more moments. Then Rick said, "Actually, my office is hiring."  
  
"Architecture?" Lily asked with a smile.  
  
"Well, it's for a secretary. You know, just answer phones, and take down messages..."  
  
"I think I could handle that... but I was thinking of maybe getting back into doing editorial work, like I did in college and after college before I met Jake," Lily explained.  
  
"Oh," Rick said, slightly disappointed.  
  
[[Rick - Yeah, it would be nice to have her be working in the same office as me... but if that's not what she wants... then.....]]  
  
"But, maybe I should think about... can I think about it?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Rick said, with a hint of a hopeful smile.  
  
[[Rick - then... she should do what she wants, and not what would make me happy.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Jake, have you seen my purple pendant necklace?" Tiffany asked, as she walked into the kitchen area.  
  
"The one with the odd smell?" Jake asked, his nose wrinkling up.  
  
Tiffany smiled, "Yeah. But it supposed to smell like that. It's supposed to help with the morning sickness."  
  
"You're having morning sickness?" Jake asked, concerned.  
  
"Just a little," Tiffany said.  
  
"Well, here, sit down," Jake said pulling out a chair at the table for her, "I'll make you some tea. That's what Lily used to always do for her morning sickness. And then, I'll find that necklace..."  
  
Tiffany sat down with a surprised smile, and watched as Jake rushed around the kitchen, making her tea.  
  
[[Tiffany - I know that he isn't ready for this... he just got out of a marriage, and I wasn't supposed to be anything special... I know that. And I seriously thought of moving back to Madison, with my mother... so he wouldn't have to deal with me-- this burden on him -- but I guess I just wanted him to be a part of this. I wanted to still have him as long as he was still having me.]]  
  
* * *  
  
Grace carried her tray over to where Eli sat, and noticed in surprise he wasn't alone. As she got closer she saw that Carla was already sitting at the table with him.  
  
"That's a really cool guitar," Carla was saying. "My Dad was huge on guitars... so I'm like an expert."  
  
"Really? What--" Eli said. He looked up and noticed Grace joining them. "Hey."  
  
"Hi," Carla said, taking a bite out of her apple.  
  
"Hi," Grace said, sitting down next to Eli and across from Carla.  
  
"So, Eli was telling me about his gig on Friday," Carla said. "I'm so there."  
  
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you," Grace said, turning to Eli, "My mom said it was okay... but of course she's coming, and Zoe too..."  
  
"Yeah, my Dad and Jessie are coming too, so..." Eli sighed, looking into Grace's eyes. They shared a moment of understanding.... knowing that they both wished their families wouldn't be there so they could just be free to be a couple.  
  
"It's like the Brady Bunch!" Carla said, breaking the moment.  
  
"What?" Grace asked, opening her milk.  
  
"Two divorced families coming together with their kids... making one big happy family. Yeah, and on the show, didn't the older daughter and the older son date?" Carla said, stealing a few fries from Eli's plate.  
  
"No..." Grace said with a laugh, "I'm pretty sure that never happened."  
  
Carla shrugged.  
  
[[Grace - Brady Bunch.... uh, not quite.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"This is it?" Lily asked as she parked in the Butane Coffee Shop's parking lot. "It looks a little run-down."  
  
"Mom!" Grace said, rolling her eyes, "It's fine."  
  
Lily opened the car door, "Oh, there's Rick!"  
  
Lily and Zoe rushed off to meet Rick and Jessie and Grace slipped inside. Eli and the band were setting up on stage. Grace made her way to the front, and paused a few feet back as she noticed a girl curled up on the edge of the stage, talking with Eli animatedly... Carla.  
  
Grace forced herself to continue walking, not knowing why it bugged her so much to see her boyfriend and her newest friend getting along.  
  
[[Grace - I guess I just wanted to keep Eli to myself as long as I could... and I also wanted to keep Carla to myself, as weird as that sounds.... she's just a really cool girl, and I don't know how to feel about the two of them being friends. I thought he'd hate her, or she'd hate him--- I didn't picture this.]]  
  
"Grace!" Carla called. She hopped down off the stage, and greeted her, all filled with energy.  
  
"Hey." Grace said with a tight smile.  
  
"Where's your folks?" Carla asked, looking past her.  
  
"Uh, my mom's outside still," Grace explained.  
  
"Oh... wait till you see this!" Carla said, and lifted the edge of her shirt, exposing a fresh tattoo on her belly. It was a black cat. "I got it last night. Isn't it cool? Eli said I should have gotten a tiger-- that it'd match my personality more, but I think black cats have a little-- " Carla growled, scratching the air, "--in them."  
  
Grace looked at the tattoo and at Eli, who say on stage. "Eli said that?"  
  
"Yeah, but he doesn't know what he's talking about-- right?" Carla said, lowered her shirt. "Oh, so that's your mom?"  
  
Grace turned, "Yeah that's her... and Eli's dad, and my sister and Eli's sister."  
  
"Aw!" Carla said, slightly sarcastically, "They are so Brady Bunch!"  
  
Grace nodded, looking at her mother and Rick who were sharing a kiss, and at Jessie and Zoe, who were laughing together. She looked back up at the stage, hoping to share a few words with Eli before the band started playing, but he was already at the mike. Carla grabbed Grace's hand and pulled her into a booth.  
  
Grace noticed Jessie looking over at her, and Grace knew Jessie was wondering why Grace wasn't sitting with them. But Grace just didn't want to be a part of the 'Brady Bunch' at that moment. Grace leaned back, absorbing the music, looking up at her boyfriend with love.  
  
* * *  
  
"Woo-hoo!" Carla called out after Anti-Inflammatory played their last song, clapping furiously. Grace clapped too.  
  
"I'm going to go see Eli," She told Carla, as the band began to pack up.  
  
"Wait!" Carla said, grabbing Grace's arm, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your family?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I guess," Grace said. She led the way through the crowd to where her mother sat with Rick and the kids.  
  
"Oh, Grace!" Lily cried out, smiling at her daughter. She looked over Grace's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, Mom... this is my friend, Carla." Grace said.  
  
"Hi Carla," Lily said, "Nice to met you."  
  
"You too." Carla reached out, taking a few skittles from Zoe's bag on the table. Zoe looked at Carla in anger. But than her expression changed as she noticed something on the Carla's belly.  
  
"Is that a tattoo?" Zoe asked, looking admiringly at the girl who had just stolen her last skittles.  
  
"Yeah," Carla said, lifting her shirt to show the whole tattoo. Grace looked on in disbelief... how could Carla show her tattoo right in front of Grace' mother??  
  
"Oh, that is so cool!" Zoe said, looking at Lily. "Did you see it mom?"  
  
Lily nodded, looking a little put-off.  
  
"That's where I would put my tattoo...when I'm old enough to get one." Zoe said.  
  
"Oh, the place I got mine done, never checks about your age... they don't care. You give them enough money and they put anything on you... no questions." Carla said, and Zoe smiled, delighted.  
  
Lily and Grace looked at Carla, horrified... Grace, because she couldn't believe her friend would say something like that in front of her mother... and Lily because she couldn't believe Grace had a friend like this.  
  
"Oh, Grace, we should go catch Eli before they leave!" Carla said. "I know you want to tell your boyfriend how proud of him you are!"  
  
Grace's mouth dropped open at Carla's slip.... but then again, she had never told Carla that she and Eli were a secret.  
  
[[Grace - Of the million ways I imagined sharing this news with them-- - this was never how I saw it happening...]]  
  
"Grace?" Lily questioned. She and Rick shared a look.  
  
"I'll be back," Grace said as Carla pulled her towards the stage.  
  
[[Grace - And now it's out there, and it's not a secret anymore...they know....]]  
  
* * * 


	28. Growing Up

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, thanks for reading, as always!!! I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen with Carla and Grace & Eli... but nothing too destructive, I assure you... this story will have a happy ending when it ends (which is ???). Oh, and I have been working on my other series "Where do we go..." on my website, I've been updating it occasionally.... I just haven't given it complete focus yet, because I want to put my all in this one first... but after this one ends, I'll definitely be updating it more often.... and will probably upload it on this site.  
  
Chapter 28//Growing Up  
  
He turned the small diamond ring over in his hand, sighing softly. Was this... right? Should he really propose? He thought it over, holding the ring in the dark.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, it's dark in here!" Lily said, as she entered Rick's apartment.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Rick said, moving to the light switch, brightening the apartment. He smiled at Lily as the light revealed her face. They leaned in for a quick kiss.  
  
"Did you talk with him?" Lily asked.  
  
"Talk with whom?" Rick said, moving into the kitchen.  
  
"With Eli," Lily said, as Rick poured them glasses of wine. "About him and Grace... dating."  
  
"Oh." Rick handed her a glass, "Actually, no, not really." He caught Lily's look. "What? It's not like we didn't see this coming..."  
  
"I know," Lily said with a sigh, "But are they ready for this?"  
  
"Well, Eli has dated before..." Rick said, sipping the red wine.  
  
"That's not what I meant," Lily said, setting her glass down on the countertop. "This is a big deal, for both of them."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Well, it's not going to be just a normal high school relationship... it's different for them, because of--" Lily tried to explain.  
  
"--Because of us?" Rick supplied.  
  
Lily nodded, picking her glass back up and taking a big gulp. "They must be really serious if they're willing to date even though it will be hard for them, if we..." Lily left her thought unsaid.  
  
Rick nodded. "...Then they're serious. That should be a good thing."  
  
"Not at 14 and 16!" Lily's shoulders slumped. "He's the first boy Grace has ever dated..."  
  
[[Lily - I didn't expect Grace to start dating till she was out of high school... seriously! I thought she'd always be my little girl... and now she's growing up... and we're growing apart.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Jake?" Tiffany called into the dark apartment. "You here?" She switched the heavy bag of groceries to her other side as she fumbled for the light switch.  
  
"Here, let me take that," Jake said, taking the bag from her as she turned the light on.  
  
Tiffany followed him into the kitchen, and watched as he began to put everything away. "Jake?"  
  
"Yeah?" Jake asked, stopping to look at her.  
  
"I was thinking of going to Madison... my mom offered to let me stay there with her." Tiffany said, unable to look him in the eyes.  
  
"Oh," Jake said, the air heavy with his unsaid thoughts. "You were?"  
  
"Well, it's not definite... I was just thinking maybe..." Tiffany said unsurely.  
  
"Maybe you could stay here," Jake said quickly. "Like... move in."  
  
"Oh, I couldn't do that!" Tiffany argued, even though she practically lived there now. "I don't want to be a burden..."  
  
"You're not!" Jake insisted. "I would like it if you stayed here..."  
  
[[Jake - I feel sometimes that I'm just a kid still... just a teenage boy, who thinks only of himself. And I don't want to be like that anymore, I don't want to always be putting myself first.... I could do that with Tiffany. I could grow up... and...]]  
  
Jake's hand slipped into his pocket and he fingered the ring he had bought last week.  
  
[[...and I could ask her to marry me.]]  
  
Tiffany smiled, "You'd really want that?"  
  
"Yeah," Jake said, moving towards her. He took his hand out of his pocket. "And there's something else..."  
  
"What?" Tiffany asked, completely naïve of what he was about to ask her. She looked at him in amusement as he knelt on the floor. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Jake insisted. He opened his hand, showing her the ring. "Will you marry me?"  
  
Tiffany's reaction was unexpected. She frowned, and shook her head, "Jake... what are you doing?"  
  
Jake stood up, standing close to her. "I'm proposing. So, what do you say?"  
  
"Jake! You don't mean it! How can you mean it?" Tiffany asked, shocked.  
  
"I mean it, Tiff.... I've been thinking about this for a while... and it's what I want," Jake reassured her.  
  
Tiffany shook her head, her eyes were filling up with tears. "Jake, you just got out of a marriage... and I'm nobody special. Don't feel like you have to marry me because of the baby."  
  
"I don't feel like that!" Jake cried. "I feel like this is the right thing to do... I want to do this. I want you to become my wife. What do you say?"  
  
Tiffany's tears overflowed down her face, "Okay." She flung herself into Jake's arms and cried happily.  
  
* * *  
  
"Is Grace going to be coming?" Eli asked, checking his watch. "It's after five."  
  
Carla looked up, from where she lay on Eli's bed. She blew a bubble with her gum and then snapped it back into her mouth, "Yeah, she said she'd have her mom drive her over after the play rehearsal... I think she said it got over at five..."  
  
"You think?" Eli asked, with slight annoyance. He stood up, "How about we go over there and see if she's done?"  
  
Carla looked up at him, her face wrinkled up, "And how are we going to get over there?"  
  
"Didn't you drive here?" Eli asked.  
  
"No, my car broke down... so my step-bitch-mother dropped me off." Carla rolled over on the bed, laying on her back. "Relax, she'll be here soon."  
  
Eli got up from his desk chair and looked out the apartment's window, but couldn't see much of the parking lot. He turned away with a sigh.  
  
"Oh, come on..." Carla groaned as she heard his sigh, "I'm not a boring person... don't tell me you hate hanging with me this much!"  
  
"No, you're not boring..." Eli said with slight aggravation, looking over at her sprawled on his bed.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Carla said, sitting up, and looking at him. "Are you mad at me? You hate me, huh?"  
  
"No I don't hate you," Eli said quickly. "I just meant, you're not boring... you're different."  
  
"OH!" Carla stood up, "This is about the drugs and rehab and stuff, right?"  
  
"It's not," Eli said, unconvincingly. "Okay, maybe a little... but you have to admit you're not like everyone else."  
  
Carla smiled, walking around the small room. "That's true, but that's a good thing. Right?" She got to the door, and she closed it, looking at Eli. "Do you mind?"  
  
"Huh?" Eli asked, his body tensing as he looked back at her.  
  
Carla pulled out a joint, "If I smoke?"  
  
Eli stared at her, and slowly relaxed. "Uh, just... open the window..."  
  
Carla went to the window, opening it, and then lighting up. The sweet musky smell of marijuana filled the room. Carla took a drag and then held it out to Eli. Eli hesitated, then took it from her, putting it to his lips.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace knocked at the apartment door, but got no answer. She could hear music coming from inside, though, and when she tested it, the door swung open, unlocked.  
  
Grace stepped inside, a bit guiltily. She closed the door behind her and called out for Eli, but got no answer. She headed up the stairs to his room. His door was shut, and Grace knocked, wondering if Carla had bailed on their plans to all get-together.  
  
But that was not the case, as Grace saw when Eli opened the door a crack. Eli saw it was her, not his Dad, and let her in. Carla sat on Eli's bed. The room was tinged with smoke. Grace looked at Eli, slightly hurt and confused.  
  
"Grace! We were wondering when you'd get done with practice!" Carla said loudly, over the music.  
  
"Yeah, we were thinking of coming and getting you, but then we realized we had no car," Eli said, missing the look on Grace's face.  
  
Carla laughed loudly at Eli's statement and Eli laughed along. He sat on the bed next to Carla and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit..." He called to Grace.  
  
"I love this song!" Carla shouted.  
  
Grace moved forward, and sat down uneasily. Both of them were stoned. Eli turned to her, and he kissed her.  
  
Grace kissed him back, but then pulled away as the kisses intensified. She looked over at where Carla was watching them. Carla noticed Grace looking at her, and blinked, "Oh, just pretend I'm not here." She continued to watch Grace and Eli closely, though.  
  
Grace felt like shouting, 'Why are you here?', but remembered she was the one who had included Carla in on her and Eli's plans to hang out. Eli moved to kiss Grace again, but she pushed him back.  
  
"You know what?" Carla said, jumping to her feet. "I'm hungry!"  
  
Grace waited until Carla had raced out of the room to look at Eli.  
  
"Hey, it's just a little pot," Eli said, automatically on the defensive.  
  
"Yeah..." Grace said. Eli leaned in, and this time Grace let him kiss her. She could smell it on him, she could taste it on him... When they broke, Grace looked at him closely. "Do you do this a lot?"  
  
Eli shook his head, "No, not really... but it's harmless."  
  
"I know," Grace answered unsurely. She didn't know if she liked the idea of Eli smoking pot.  
  
"Did you want some..." Eli offered, "I'm sure Carla has some more."  
  
"You got it from Carla?" Grace asked, it sinking in.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Eli, where's your hot cocoa mix??" Carla cried from downstairs.  
  
Eli got up, and Grace reluctantly followed him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Dad's coming over," Zoe informed Grace that night.  
  
"He is?" Grace asked in surprise.  
  
"And Tiffany too..." Zoe added. "They have something to tell us."  
  
Grace's heart skipped a beat. "Oh," She said, trying to pretend she didn't care.  
  
The phone rang, and the girls heard their mother pick it up in the kitchen. "Grace!" Lily called, "It's Eli."  
  
Grace got the phone, and stepped outside, where it was a slightly chilly spring night, but at least she had privacy. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi," Eli said from his end. "I just wanted to call and make sure..."  
  
"Make sure what?" Grace asked.  
  
"That everything was still good between us."  
  
"Why wouldn't it be?" Grace said, feigning ignorance.  
  
"Well, you just seemed a bit... disappointed earlier about the smoking..." Eli said.  
  
"Oh," Grace looked out at the dark yard. "No, we're fine. I just..."  
  
"What?" Eli asked, prodding her to go on.  
  
"It just was weird, with Carla there..." Grace said. "It seems like she's always with us now."  
  
"She's YOUR friend," Eli reminded her.  
  
Grace turned, looking through the window at her brightly lit house. "I know, it's just... I just wish she wasn't always there. I just want to be alone with you..."  
  
"Me too," Eli whispered.  
  
Grace looked inside, and saw her mother tapping on the window glass. Her Dad must have arrived. "I've got to go."  
  
"Wait-- so you don't mind about the smoking?" Eli asked.  
  
"I don't know, Eli. You're free to make your own choices." Grace said with a sigh. "I've got to go."  
  
"Bye," Eli said reluctantly.  
  
"Bye," Grace echoed, turning off the phone and going inside. She found her Dad, Tiffany, her mother, and Zoe waiting for her in the living room. Grace took a seat at the couch and waited for her Dad's news.  
  
"Tiffany and I are getting married!" Jake announced, and Grace gasped in disbelief.  
  
[[Grace - My life has certainly changed this year. Not only with my parents, but with school, my friends, and Eli... it's all so weird, that sometimes I wonder how it all went this way. How did it all change so quickly? *long stare into camera* I guess I'm just growing up...but sometimes, I wonder if I'm the only one. *sigh*....]]  
  
* * * 


	29. A Jump Start

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 29//A Jump Start  
  
"So, they're getting married?" Rick asked, surprised.  
  
Lily sighed, plopping down on her bed next to where Rick sat. "Yes."  
  
"Wow," Rick mused.  
  
Lily sighed again, and Rick looked at her carefully, "Are you upset that it isn't us that's...."  
  
"No, no of course not. I just can't believe Jake would get married so soon," Lily said, resting her head on his shoulder. "But... Tiffany let it slip to me that's she's pregnant..."  
  
"So, you think that's why they are getting married?" Rick nudged her.  
  
"I hate to say it, but yeah..." Lily looked up into Rick's dark eyes. "Am I a horrible person?"  
  
"No, of course not," Rick assured her.  
  
Lily smiled softly, "What if I told you I was a little jealous also... that that's not us..."  
  
Rick swallowed nervously, "You want to get pregnant?"  
  
Lily hit his arm, "No! I mean... marriage." Lily returned her head to the resting spot on his shoulder and said, barely audible, "It would be nice..."  
  
"Yes," Rick agreed, thinking of all the times he had contemplated over whether to propose to Lily, but something always seemed to hold him back. He had bought the ring, but it still lay in his dresser drawer... Rick just couldn't seem to commit to popping the question.  
  
[[Rick - I had had my excuses... It was too soon, she was still married, we weren't ready for it... *long pause, then looks into camera* But, now the road is clear... the way is paved, and I just can't seem to get my car to start.]]  
  
"Maybe we should take the next step," Rick said, and Lily lifted her head, looking at him quizzically. "Not marriage... right away, but moving in together."  
  
"You mean it?" Lily asked, drawing back so she could look at him better. "Like you move in here?"  
  
"Yeah... it went well on Christmas-- minus the Eli and Grace thing, so yeah..." Rick said, smiling at her... glad to have made some progress, if it wasn't proposing- it was the next best thing though. "If you'll have me."  
  
Lily thought. "Well, you stay here enough, that you practically do live here. And the place is big enough... for you and oh--" Lily stopped. "Your kids."  
  
Rick nodded, "We could fix up your attic... you've been mentioning doing that, anyway, and put Eli up there, and Jessie could room with one of the girls."  
  
"But, do you think they would... be okay with it?" Lily asked, concerned. "It'll be a big change."  
  
Rick smiled reassuringly, "The kids get along great, and..." He trailed off, and Lily sighed as she shared his thought.  
  
"Grace and Eli," Lily said for him. "What do we do about them?"  
  
"I'm sure it would be okay..." Rick said hopefully.  
  
Lily looked pointedly at him, "They're dating teenagers... who will be living together. Do we set up rules-- or...?"  
  
"We'll talk to them about it," Rick said, not wanting to back away from this idea now that he had set himself to it. "They're honest kids... if we just talk to them about..."  
  
Lily nodded, she too didn't want to pass on this idea. "I guess it will be okay."  
  
[[Lily - Okay, I'll just say it.... Uh, Rick and his kids moving in means Eli and Grace would have plenty of opportunities to be alone and be... intimate. But, it's not like they wouldn't have these opportunities if Rick didn't move in. If they wanted to have sex--- I'm not saying they do... because this is Grace we're talking about--- but if they wanted to, they could have already done it. But still, it will be very weird to be moving TWO couples together in one house.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli!" Grace complained as Eli stole her spoon to snag some ice cream out of her bowl. "Get your own!"  
  
Jessie watched them from across the table with a smile. They were cute together.  
  
"Are you done?" Zoe asked, and Jessie nodded. Zoe took Jessie's empty bowl of ice cream and brought it to the sink with her own.  
  
Across the table, Eli and Grace shared a quick kiss. Jessie watched them shyly.  
  
"Zoe... will you sit at the table?" Lily asked as she and Rick came into the room.  
  
Zoe sat at the table, and the four of them turned their attention to the ones standing.  
  
Lily and Rick shared a smile, before Rick spoke. "We've decided to take the next step..."  
  
"You're getting married too?" Zoe asked, excited.  
  
Lily and Rick shook their heads though, and Rick continued. "We've decided that it has come the time for us to move in together... here."  
  
"You mean, like me and Jessie too?" Eli asked.  
  
"Where else you go if I'm here?" Rick said.  
  
"Fulltime with mom?" Jessie offered, and Rick was slightly hurt.  
  
"No, I want to do this as a family... Lily and I decided that come spring break, we're moving in."  
  
"Spring break, but that's like, a month away!" Jessie cried, then realized how upset she sounded and looked down at the table.  
  
[[Jessie - It's not like I don't like them... I do. I never thought I would, but they've all grown on me. I mean, Zoe was pretty easy to like, even though she is annoying at times... and Lily seemed so perfect, that I was scared to like her at first, but after a while I saw she was just normal like the rest of us.... and Grace... well, I didn't know what to think of her at first, but now I really like her. *bites lower lip unconsciously, long pause* But to move in with them? Already?]]  
  
"Yeah, we thought a month would be a sufficient amount of time for packing, and getting the attic restored-- Eli- that's going to be your room," Rick said.  
  
"Cool," Eli said aloud, and he looked at Grace. Grace smiled in anticipation back at him.  
  
[[Grace - To have Eli living in the same house as me... *smile*]]  
  
[[Eli - To be living in the same house as Grace... *smiles*]]  
  
"What's going to be my room?" Jessie asked.  
  
Lily and Rick looked at each other. "You can move in with one of the girls," Lily said.  
  
"Oh," Jessie said unsurely... she had never shared a room with anyone.  
  
"You can stay in my room!" Zoe cried. Jessie managed a small smile.  
  
[[Jessie - *forced smile* Maybe sharing a room wouldn't be that bad... *forced smile slides off, frown appears*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"So, you're like moving in together?" Carla asked, wide-eyed as she and Grace entered the mall. "Aren't you a little young to be so serious?"  
  
"Carla!" Grace cried, with a smile. "It's our parents that are really moving in together-- we're just along for the ride."  
  
Carla shook her head, "No, you're like totally going to be living together... and like seeing each other all the time, and never having any space..."  
  
"That's a bad thing?" Grace asked, confused.  
  
"Well, yeah," Carla reached up, scratching her neck, "I mean, what do you do if you break up? You'll have to see him every day!"  
  
"Well, not every day--- Zoe and I spend half the week at my Dad's, and Eli and Jessie spend half at their mom's..." Grace reminded her friend as they walked. "And... we're not going to break up."  
  
Carla laughed, "That's what you think."  
  
"Cannot we not be discussing this-- I have to buy a valentine gift for him right now," Grace said, pulling Carla into a store.  
  
"Oh--- how about this?" Carla said as they passed a rack of racy lingerie. She pulled out a red one, holding it up against Grace. "I think Eli would love it!" Carla said with a grin.  
  
Grace pushed it away from her, and Carla hung it back up. "Well, so what were you thinking of getting him?" She asked as they continued walking. "Because I think that lingerie would really suit you... and I can just see Eli coming in... and you saying 'Take me! Take me!'" Carla swung her arms about as she said this dramatically.  
  
Grace looked around the crowded store and shushed her friend. Carla grinned wickedly at her friend. "So have you done it with him?"  
  
Grace's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe Carla would ask such a thing. She looked at Carla in exasperation.  
  
Carla caught her look and shrugged, "What? I'm your best friend... and you can tell me that you haven't yet... it's okay."  
  
[[Grace - How DID Carla become my best friend so quickly? ...*shakes head, confused*]]  
  
"How do you know we haven't?" Grace challenged.  
  
Carla smiled at her friend. "Grace-- it's kind of obvious."  
  
Carla stopped in the aisle and held up a pair of men's boxers that were red satin with white hearts. "How about these?"  
  
Grace shook her head. They continued walking. "So, you could tell?" Grace pressed.  
  
Carla sighed, "It's no big deal, Grace! Some people just need to move slowly..."  
  
"You think Eli and I are moving 'slowly'?" Grace questioned.  
  
"That's not what I meant!" Carla insisted, moving forward to check out a display of valentine candy.  
  
Grace trailed behind her, deflated.  
  
* * *  
  
"Happy Valentine's day," Grace said as she caught Eli in the hall.  
  
"You too," Eli said, who had always been a little unsettled by the whole idea of Valentine's day. It had always been a day when his girlfriend at the time had expected to be lavished with gifts and praise, and Eli had never felt quite comfortable with that in the past... but now, with Grace, things seemed different. Eli had been looking forward to giving Grace her gift.  
  
They did their usual teacher-check, but the coast was clear. They kissed softly.  
  
"Here," Grace said, shoving a wrapped present at him. "I know we didn't talk about getting each other anything, but I couldn't resist."  
  
"Me either," Eli said, and pulled her present out of his backpack. Grace looked at him, pleased. They both opened their gifts.  
  
Grace looked at his with a smile, "Is this...?"  
  
"It's some songs I wrote," Eli said, nodding at the CD Grace was holding. "The band and I recorded them last week..."  
  
Grace scanned the titles he had written on the CD cover page... some of them she already knew, but a couple were unfamiliar. Grace smiled widely as she saw one title, "No other Grace?" She questioned, reading it off.  
  
Eli smiled. "Just listen to it."  
  
"I will," Grace said with a smile.  
  
Eli looked down at his gift... it was the CD by a relatively unknown band, called Tibanna, that he had recently discovered. "I thought all the stores around here didn't have any?" Eli asked, and he knew, since he had checked.  
  
"I got it online," Grace explained, "I had to use my mother's credit card, though... but I thought you'd like it."  
  
Eli nodded.  
  
"I couldn't find anything good in the stores," Grace continued.  
  
"It's good," Eli reassured her. "It's perfect."  
  
Grace nodded, although Carla's words ran through her head, making her wish she had maybe gotten him something a little more intimate..... he had written her a song! And what did she get him.... just a CD.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, what did you get Grace?" Carla asked as she met up with Eli outside of school. "For Valentine's Day..." Carla prodded him.  
  
Eli looked at her, "Uh, a CD."  
  
Carla made a face, "A CD? What kind of gift is that?"  
  
"Grace got me a CD," Eli informed her.  
  
"Oh," Carla said, smiling. "Sorry. A CD is good... but I still think Grace should have gone for the sexy underwear."  
  
Eli looked away, not sure how to respond, "I have to go pick up my sister."  
  
"Oh, so you have the car?" Carla asked.  
  
Eli nodded, "My Dad let me have it today, as long as I pick him up later."  
  
"So, you have the car on Valentine's Day, and you're picking up your sister?" Carla asked with a sigh. "Where's the romance in that? Aren't you doing anything with Grace?"  
  
"No, she had to go to her dad's restaurant's re-opening... she invited me, but, uh..."  
  
"Yeah, I don't like things like that either," Carla said. She smiled at Eli. "So, you want to do something later?"  
  
"Today?" Eli asked, looking at Carla in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, today..." Carla rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's V-Day, but you're allowed to still have a normal life. I heard John is having a party."  
  
Eli nodded. His band mate, John, had invited him, but Eli hadn't thought he'd go... but...  
  
"Come on, it'll be fun! Better than sitting home with your sister or something," Carla pleaded.  
  
Eli shrugged, "I guess I could check it out."  
  
"Great!" Carla said, and she began to walk away from him, "Just pick me up at 8! You know the place, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Eli called after her, and Carla disappeared into the after- school crowd. Eli reached his father's car, and opened it with a confused look.  
  
[[Eli - How did I become friends with Carla? And how did Grace become friends with her in the first place? And why do I feel I really shouldn't be doing this? I mean... Carla is... trouble.]]  
  
* * * 


	30. Evaluating the Situation

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 30//Evaluating the Situation  
"Not bad," Eli said, turning in a circle. He studied the bare room. "I could definitely live here."  
  
Grace smiled at him, as they stood in the attic of her house... which was soon to be Eli's room. "It's very private," Grace said.  
  
Eli turned to her, a sly grin on his face, "That will be nice, huh?"  
  
Grace caught his meaning and smiled shyly as he walked closer to her. They looked into each other's eyes, and Eli leaned in, kissing her softly. Their lips met with intensity and they soon were lost deep in their kiss. Eli's hands found Grace's back and cradled her close to his body.  
  
"Eli, how about--" Lily said as she came up the stairs. She stopped still as she saw her daughter and Eli locked in a kiss.  
  
Grace and Eli broke guiltily from their kiss. "I like it up here," Eli said, trying to ease the tension in the room.  
  
Lily came up the final steps, "Yes... it turned out quite nice after we got rid of all the boxes and stuff... Grace, could you come and help me-- something," Lily said when she couldn't find a better word.  
  
Grace reluctantly followed her mother down the stairs. Lily stopped as they reached the doorway to Grace's room. "Grace," Her mother began.  
  
"Mom, it was just a kiss," Grace said with annoyance.  
  
"I know, Grace, but I don't know how comfortable I am with us all moving in together, with you and Eli..." Lily trailed off, looking back at the door to the attic.  
  
"Mom," Grace said, her tone becoming gentle. "You can trust me. It will be okay. Eli and I... we're not going to---" Grace stopped as she realized she couldn't promise that to her mother... since who knew what would happen in the future.  
  
[[Grace - I'm only 14... I don't think I'm ready for sex. And I know that's what my mother fears... is that by Rick, Jessie and Eli moving in-- Eli and I are going to take advantage of being together in the same house. But, she's got to understand, that if I wanted to do that... which I don't, not yet... but if Eli and I wanted to, we would do it regardless of whether we lived together in the same house or not.]]  
  
Lily nodded, "Grace, I trust you."  
  
Grace smiled. "Thanks." She turned and went back up the stairs, to the room Eli would be moving into in less than two weeks. Lily watched her go, her face unsure.  
  
* * *  
  
"Eli!" Carla cried, meeting up with Eli in the school hallway.  
  
"Hey," Eli said. Carla tugged on his sleeve.  
  
"You have to hear this new CD I got..." She said, dragging him to the language lab.  
  
"I'm supposed to meet Grace for lunch," Eli said, but Carla held on strong.  
  
"Just one song, then," Carla promised, as they entered the lab.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace shifted her lunch tray, looking around for Eli... or Carla. But neither one was here. Grace froze for a minute, surveying the lunch room, hoping Eli would suddenly make an appearance. But when he didn't, Grace found herself moving towards her old table... with Julie, Sarah and Ashley.  
  
Julie looked up as Grace joined them, giving her a semi-friendly, but surprised smile. Sarah stared angrily at Grace, and Ashley was looking down at her lunch.  
  
[[Grace - I guess I've just been busy with Eli and Carla... and I kind of *sigh* blew off my friends...]]  
  
"Hey," Grace said, sitting down.  
  
"Hi," Julie said. Sarah and Ashley were silent.  
  
Grace dipped one of her fries in ketchup and ate it uncomfortably. Maybe it would have been better if she had sat alone.  
  
"Where's Eli?" Sarah asked finally. "Or Carla?" She added nastily.  
  
Grace looked at her friend, and said, "I don't know."  
  
Ashley looked up at Grace finally, "You know what... this is crap, Grace! The way you expect us to still be your friend after you dropped us for that skank girl, Carla... that's crap. Why don't you do us a favor, and just leave!"  
  
Grace looked at Ashley in surprise. Ashley had always been the nicest one out of the group and for her to say something like that was... Grace sighed, looking at the other two, "Do you feel that way too?"  
  
"Yes," Sarah said coldly, and Grace looked to her once best friend, Julie. Julie looked at Grace, her eyes troubled, but then she nodded too.  
  
[[Grace - ...and now I've lost them... I traded them in for Carla...]]  
  
Grace stood. "I'm sorry." She walked away, stopping at the garage cans to toss her uneaten lunch in and then she exited the cafeteria. She started to her locker, meaning to grab some books and go to the library for the rest of the hour, but as she passed the language lab, she heard laughter.  
  
Grace stopped and went to the doorway. Eli and Carla were sitting close together, sharing a set of headphones as they listened to a song. Grace watched them for a few seconds, and then hesitantly entered.  
  
"Oh, hey, Grace! You've got to hear this new CD I got," Carla said as she noticed Grace.  
  
"It's awesome," Eli chimed in. He didn't seem to notice the pained expression on Grace's face.  
  
[[Grace - ...and I don't even know whether I can trust Carla or not... what kind of friend is that?]]  
  
Grace joined them, and listened to the song without much interest. She kept looking at Eli and at Carla and wondering if her friendship with Carla was going to ruin everything in her life.  
  
* * *  
  
"E-man!" Carla cried. "What's up?"  
  
Eli turned, surprised by a familiar voice. He looked around the mall, and his eyes finally landed on Carla. She danced happily over to him. When she got near, Eli breathed in the alcohol on her breath with a slight startle. "Have you been...?" Eli asked cautiously.  
  
Carla rolled her eyes, and laughed, but she failed to do both at once, and had to grab tightly to Eli's jacket to keep from falling.  
  
Eli sighed, looking around. He had still been planning on hitting a few more shops, but he couldn't just leave Carla in this condition. "Carla, can I drive you home?"  
  
"No," Carla shook her head vehemently. "I can't go back there! You don't know what my step-mother is like! She's horrible! And if she sees me like this...."  
  
"Drunk?" Eli asked.  
  
Carla pushed his hands off her, "So I had a few drinks. SO, what? That bitch drinks her f*cking wine and her Rum EVERY night, and I have a few beers and smoke some pot, and suddenly I'm the HORRIBLE one!!!"  
  
"Carla, you're shouting," Eli said, looking around.  
  
"She wants to send me to rehab, AGAIN!!" Carla cried, dancing out of Eli's grasp. "I can't go back there! I can't! And I don't think I should have to! So, what if I drink, or smoke... or take some pills! It's not like she doesn't take those SAME pills! Only she has a prescription, so... it's OKAY for HER. But, why does she have to treat ME this way....?"  
  
[[Eli - I don't know how to deal with this girl, and her problems... and I shouldn't HAVE to deal with her and her problems... She shouldn't be a part of my life. I never wanted to become her friend, but now I am, and I should have backed away sooner, because I SAW.... I saw this girl had problems, and that she was trouble, but I just felt I couldn't back away... and now she needs me... and I have to be there for her, and I don't what to do.]]  
  
Eli managed to grab a hold of Carla and tried to calm her down. "Carla, I'll take you to my dad's apartment. He's not there... he's already moved into Lily's house. You can rest, maybe sleep, and decide what to do later..."  
  
Carla shook her head, "NO... just leave me, Eli. I'm fine."  
  
But Eli knew better than that. He looked Carla closely in the eyes, "You're not fine..."  
  
Carla collapsed in his arms, her held-back tears overflowing. "I don't want go to rehab," Carla cried into his shoulder.  
  
"I know," Eli whispered back. He looked around, aware of the spectacle they were making, standing like that in the middle of the mall. Eli waited until Carla's sobs had been reduced to sniffles, and then gently guided her out of the mall and to his father's car.  
  
* * *  
  
"Tiffany asked me to be a maid of honor at the wedding," Zoe said importantly.  
  
Grace glanced at her sister, taking her eyes off the email she was writing on her computer, "Yeah, she asked me too."  
  
"Oh," Zoe said, a little disappointed. She picked up some of her sister's makeup and examined it. "When do you think they'll get married?"  
  
Grace didn't tear her eyes away from the screen this time. "Soon, I mean before the baby comes..."  
  
"What baby?" Zoe asked, confused.  
  
Grace shook her head, "Uh, nothing, Zoe."  
  
"What baby?" Zoe repeated. When Grace didn't answer, Zoe ran out into the hallway. Grace smiled a bit as she heard Zoe screaming for their mother. Opps, Grace had spilled the beans, but it wasn't like Zoe wasn't going to find out soon anyways.  
  
Grace returned her attention to her email, typing furiously. She really felt bad about the whole thing with Julie and her friends. Grace hadn't meant to let them down, but she had just been distracted... by Eli, of course, since he was her first boyfriend, and well her first true love.  
  
[[Grace - Yes, I said love.... I love him. *smile* I used to think I'd never love someone, not like this. I thought I couldn't find love, because I didn't think much of myself.... but now I have Eli, and every moment with him makes me know that love is possible.... because that's what we have.]]  
  
But she had also been distracted by Carla. Carla had just been so different than herself, and her friends. And Grace had just been caught up in the whirlwind that is Carla. Carla made every second interesting, and fun, and... Grace had let herself think that that was something good enough to base a friendship on. But now she wondered if she had made a mistake. She did know, however, that ditching her true friends had been a mistake.  
  
Grace finished typing her email to Julie, and sent it. She hoped Julie would see that she meant every word she wrote. And Grace knew that if Julie took her back as a friend, that Sarah and Ashley wouldn't be far behind. But, anyway, Julie was the she had been closest with... Julie's acceptance of her apology would mean the most.  
  
Grace shut down her computer and looked up as her mother appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Grace..." Her mother began.  
  
"I'm sorry, it just slipped out," Grace said, explaining about the baby-slip.  
  
"I wouldn't have told you if I thought you couldn't keep it a secret," Lily said softly.  
  
Grace nodded, "I know. But it's not like she wasn't going to find out soon enough, anyways."  
  
"Yeah," Lily said, giving in. She began to leave.  
  
"Mom?" Grace asked.  
  
Lily turned back.  
  
"Can you drop me off at Rick's apartment?"  
  
"Whatever do you want to go there for?" Lily asked in surprise.  
  
"Eli said he was going over there tonight to pack up the rest of his stuff. I thought I could help," Grace said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, help..." Lily said, shaking her head, but smiling also. "I'm sure you'll get a lot done."  
  
"Hey, we will!" Grace argued, but knew that it was possible that she and Eli might get distracted. "So, could you?"  
  
"Alright, get in the car," Lily said. She was in a relatively good mood, despite Grace's slip to Zoe. She went out in the hallway and called for Zoe, "Zoe, want to get ice cream?"  
  
Zoe came out of her room eagerly, forgetting her resentment at her mother for sharing the news of Tiffany's pregnancy with Grace and not her, and the three of them headed for the car.  
  
* * *  
  
"What's this?" Carla asked as Eli handed her a warm mug.  
  
"It's coffee... I've never made it before, but it should be fine enough to do the trick," Eli said.  
  
Carla looked at the black liquid with disgust. "You think coffee is going to solve everything?"  
  
"No, but it might sober you..." Eli said, and stopped as he saw Carla's harsh look.  
  
"Eli, just..." Carla began. "I don't need another person telling me..."  
  
"I'm not telling you anything!" Eli insisted. "I just thought it would be better if your thoughts were clearer."  
  
"I'm thinking fine," Carla said coldly, setting the mug back on the countertop. She went up the stairs, and Eli followed her as she went into his room.  
  
Carla pulled the window open and searched through her pockets. She found what she was looking for and turned to Eli, "Do you have a lighter?"  
  
"Are.. are you going to smoke that?" Eli asked.  
  
[[Eli - I don't know what to do. I don't know what's my place here. How can I get her to stop, to change, when she's so... stubborn? I just wish I had dropped her off at her own house. Then, I wouldn't have to deal with her.... deal with this.]]  
  
"Oh, come on, Eli. It's the only thing that will calm me down right now." Carla said. "So, you got a lighter?"  
  
"No, I don't," Eli said, although he knew he had one somewhere.  
  
Carla looked at him angrily, and then began searching her coat pockets. Eli moved forward and took the joint from her hand. "I really don't think this is what you need."  
  
"How do YOU know what I need? How can you?" Carla stared at him, "You have Grace. And you have a perfect life, and you don't know what it's like to be ME.... to be alone."  
  
"You're not alone," Eli said, crushing the joint and tossing it in his trash can. "Carla..."  
  
Carla was staring at him with an intense expression. "You're Mr. Perfect... star of the basketball team, super guitar player, great brother... great boyfriend. And you have Ms. Perfect--- Grace. And I'm just me. And I get so sick of it. I'm sick of seeing everyone else living the lives I want!"  
  
"Carla?" Eli asked, moving back over to her. He was afraid she had started to cry again. He didn't know the words to make it right for her... so he just stared at her bowed head, silently.  
  
Then Carla looked back up at him, and something in her expression had changed. Eli felt frightened by the look on her face... it was a look of determination. Eli took a hesitant step back, but Carla was already flinging herself on him. Her lips pressed hard against his own.  
  
[[Eli - *nervous look* ...Help....]]  
  
* * * 


	31. When Things are Not Right

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Thanks for reading, as always... and for your reviews!!! :) !!!!! I'll definitely tell you when I update my other story, but I've just been feeling more inspired in this one than that one as of late, so I haven't done much with the other one.  
  
Chapter 31//When Things are Not Right  
  
Grace, who had entered the apartment building quickly... Grace who had decided to surprise Eli with her unexpected presence when she discovered the apartment unlocked... Grace who snuck quietly to the stairs, going up them with only the slightest creaks... Grace who saw that the door to Eli's room was open... Grace who stood in that doorway and watched as Eli and Carla kissed.... Grace who did all this, snuck away just as quietly and just as quickly back out of the apartment.  
  
She waited until she had stumbled out of the building, the cool night air brushing against her hot cheeks... then she started to cry. How could they do that to her? Eli was her boyfriend... the guy she loved more than anything, and Carla was her newest friend. Grace had had her doubts about whether she could trust Carla, but now she saw her doubts had been justified.... they had done to her, together. It was BOTH of their faults, and Grace hated them fiercely at that moment.  
  
Grace wearily began her walk home, knowing it would take over an hour to get there, but she didn't care. The minutes passed quickly, as her thoughts bubbled angrily inside her. They did this to her! And how long had it been going on... days, weeks... ever since Carla had started hanging out with them??  
  
Grace couldn't believe it... she had really thought that Eli cared for her. She might have expected something like this from Carla, but from Eli... no. And that made it hurt even worse, that she had been blind to the whole thing... that she had never suspected a thing.  
  
* * *  
  
Eli pushed Carla back, forcing her lips to pull away from his. He looked at her with a mixture of sadness and anger. "Carla, this isn't the answer..." He said. Carla had to know that the answer to her problems didn't lie in Eli.  
  
"Oh, I know that," Carla said, looking away, almost embarrassed.... if that was possible.  
  
"I have Grace, and I... I love her," Eli said, surprised by the words, but knowing that they were true.  
  
"I know that!" Carla cried, looking at him. "Don't you think I saw that? I just wanted what you two have... No one's ever really loved ME."  
  
Eli looked down at her, his anger fading as he saw that she was just a screwed up girl. She had major problems, and she needed to deal with them the right way. "Carla, I think you should go home."  
  
Carla looked up at him, with reluctant acceptance. "But my step- mother might send me to rehab..." She said, one last half-assed attempt to get out of it.  
  
"Carla..." Eli began. Suddenly Eli saw that rehab might just be the best thing for this girl.  
  
Carla nodded, with a heavy sigh. "Fine." She turned away, and for a brief second Eli thought he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes, but when she turned back her face was stone. "Can you give me a lift?"  
  
"Sure," Eli said, relieved.  
  
* * *  
  
"You're back already?" Lily asked as Grace entered the house. She, Rick, and Zoe were on the couch, watching a movie and eating popcorn.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be up in my room... I've got homework," Grace said, hoping that would stop her mother from questioning her. Grace went up the stairs in relief as her mother had turned back to the TV.  
  
Grace went up the final stairs, and opened her room. She escaped inside, closing the door behind her. With a loud sob, she flung herself on the bed... how could they have done that to her??  
  
[[Grace - Nothing could hurt as much as this *tear-stained face* I feel like my heart is choking... it's tightening around itself, and cutting off the oxygen. It hurts... so bad.]]  
  
* * *  
  
"So, you're moving in there tonight?" Kevin asked.  
  
Eli nodded, smiling.  
  
[[Eli - I've never been so excited about something before...]]  
  
"Wow," Kevin said, musing over the idea of having your girlfriend be living in the same house as you. "That will be so NICE."  
  
Eli nodded, smiling bigger. He caught site of Grace further down the hall, and took after her. "Grace!" He called when he got closer. Grace must have had an appointment at lunch or something, because Eli had been unable to find her. So, Eli called after her again, delighted to finally have caught her presence. But Grace must have not heard him, because she hurriedly disappeared around the corner. Eli stopped, disappointed... but he would be seeing her tonight after all.  
  
* * *  
  
"Okay, first load!" Rick called, as he entered the apartment. "Grab everything you can!"  
  
Eli and Jessie, who were in the process of packing a few boxes still, got up and began carrying the already packed boxes to the elevator and down to the car. Once they had a full load, Rick drove to Lily's... err, their house.  
  
"Eli, Jess!" Lily cried, happily, almost jumping with excitement. "Welcome!"  
  
"Hey," Eli said, "Uh, where's Grace?"  
  
"Oh, she had a play rehearsal after school," Lily informed him.  
  
Eli, who knew Grace's schedule as well as his own, frowned.  
  
"Come in, come in," Lily said. "Move into your new rooms!" She and Rick grinned madly at each other.  
  
Eli and Jessie looked at each other with amusement. They began the long process of moving boxes up to their rooms.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace sunk deeper into the chair. She took the tissue and wiped her wet cheeks. She looked up at her friend, "Thanks, Julie."  
  
Julie smiled, "Hey, you took me back after I ditched you for Kevin..."  
  
Grace nodded. "I can't believe they did this to me!"  
  
Julie looked at her with understanding. "It hurts, doesn't it?"  
  
"It's horrible!" Grace cried. "And now I have to live in the same house as him! How can I do that?"  
  
"Oh, Grace... I'm sorry," Julie said. She got up from her bed, and picked up her phone. She handed it out to Grace... "Why don't you call your dad?"  
  
Grace looked at the phone hesitantly. "And say what, that my soon-to- be stepbrother cheated on me!?"  
  
"Well, not exactly that... unless you want your dad to beat Eli up," Julie paused, smiling. "Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing.... but I was thinking you could just explain the bare minimum, that you and Eli had a fight, and you'd really like to stay over there."  
  
Grace took the phone. "That's not a bad idea. And maybe he'd let me move in with him entirely... or I could just stay there whenever Eli is at my house, and go home whenever Eli is at his mom's... I might never have to see him again!"  
  
[[Grace - ...which is a good thing, because if I saw him right now... I'd *angry stare*... I don't what, but it wouldn't be pretty.]]  
  
Julie smiled encouragingly, and Grace dialed her father's number.  
  
* * *  
  
"Is that the last load?" Lily asked, as Rick carried in the last box. He set it down in the entrance hall, and turned to Lily with a smile.  
  
"That it is..." He said, catching her in a kiss. He reached into the open box, where he had set the Chinese takeout he had picked up for dinner. "And I got food!"  
  
"Ahhh," Lily said, realizing how hungry she was, after helping with the boxes and unpacking. "I think I just might keep you now..."  
  
"Good, because all sales are final," Rick said with a smile.  
  
Lily shook her head, laughing and took the food from him. "Kids! Food!"  
  
The sound of footsteps on the stairs began immediately. Apparently, they were as hungry as Lily. Lily set the takeout boxes on the table and went to get plates. When she got back, Eli was looking at her quizzically. "Grace is not back yet?"  
  
"No," Lily said. She wasn't worried... sometimes the practices ran late, and even though Grace had only a small part, she was gone sometimes past dinner.  
  
"Maybe I should go get her," Eli said, setting down his fork. Jessie looked at her brother in surprise, knowing how hungry Eli had said he was earlier when the three of them had been hanging in Zoe and Jessie's room.  
  
"No, she said she'd get a ride with one of her friends. I'm sure she'll be back soon," Lily said, and Eli reluctantly began eating again.  
  
"So, Jessie, how do you like your new room?" Rick asked.  
  
"Oh, it's... nice," Jessie said, although she would have to get used to sharing her space with another person. But so far, it wasn't horrible or anything.  
  
The phone rang, and Eli jumped up. The rest of the table watched as Eli rushed into the kitchen to answer it. Lily and Rick shared an amused smile. Eli came back, holding the phone out to Lily, "It's Jake."  
  
"Oh," Lily said, setting down the glass of water she had been holding. She took the phone and disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
Eli watched the kitchen door, his heart beating crazily, as he sensed something was up. He knew Grace didn't usually have practice on Fridays... and they were going to be having practices during spring break too, so there was no need for the play director to have assigned them an extra rehearsal. And Eli kept wondering if Grace had indeed heard him earlier that day, when he called for her in the hall.......... but if so, then why was she avoiding him?  
  
[[Eli - Something doesn't feel right. I feel like everything around me is collapsing, and the weird thing is... I don't know why.]]  
  
Eli looked intently as Lily reentered, a sour look on her face. Rick also caught this look, and straightened up in his chair, ready for bad news.  
  
"Uh, that was Jake. Grace is over there," Lily said, as she stood by her chair.  
  
"What? Why?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Apparently she didn't want to be here tonight," Lily said, and her glance fell on Eli. Eli caught the accusation in her eyes and squirmed because he really had no idea why Grace wouldn't want to be there.  
  
"Why wouldn't she want to be here tonight?" Rick asked in surprise, echoing Eli's thoughts. He too, along with Jess and Zoe, looked at Eli.  
  
"I don't know!" Eli cried.  
  
Their focus shifted back to Lily. Lily shrugged, "He wouldn't say. And Grace wouldn't even talk to me. Jake said Grace was upset...."  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
"...I just wanted us to have a nice family dinner!" Lily said after a long pause. Her glance fell on Eli again. She sighed and left the room. Rick got up, turning to Eli.  
  
"You don't know why Grace wouldn't want to be here?" Rick demanded.  
  
"I don't!" Eli insisted.  
  
Rick sighed, and went to comfort Lily.  
  
The kids sat alone at the table. Eli felt Zoe's and Jessie's eyes on him, and he looked up. He didn't like the suspicious looks on their faces.... everyone thought he had something to do with Grace's not wanting to be there, but Eli had no clue why Grace didn't want to be there. It hurt him, not knowing.... and for some reason he felt like he should know. Something was twitching in the corner of his mind, but Eli couldn't put a finger on it.  
  
Eli couldn't take it anymore, and stood up. He left his half-eaten dinner and hurried upstairs for the privacy of his attic room, where he could maybe put his thoughts together.  
  
* * *  
  
Rick found Lily in the kitchen, dialing Jake's number. Rick hung back as Lily talked into the phone.  
  
"Let me talk to her Jake!" Lily cried, "No... I need to find out what this is all about!... She should be here, not there!... no, it's their first night here, we should... I know, but... Jake, listen to me..... no, I want to talk to her.... then tell me why! ... Fine, tell her I'm picking her up tomorrow morning, whether she wants to come back or not! ... No, Jake... she has to... yes, okay... bye."  
  
Lily hung up the phone angrily. She looked back at Rick. "So much for their dating not affecting this move-in."  
  
"So, it is about Eli?" Rick asked.  
  
"Jake wouldn't say, but I got that impression." Lily looked to Rick, her anger had been replaced by sadness, "Oh, Rick! Why didn't we think of this? Why didn't we worry what would happen if they broke up?"  
  
Jessie and Zoe, who were still sitting at the table, overheard Lily's cries. They looked at each other in surprise, unable to believe that Grace and Eli had broken up. They had seemed like the perfect couple.  
  
[[Jessie - *frowning* Great, now the house is going to be like a war- zone...]]  
  
[[Zoe - I can't believe they broke up. I thought they would like, get married or something... if it's legal to marry your stepbrother? *shrugs, indifferently* ...It's so cool that Jessie and I are sharing a room now. She's like awesome... a much better sister than Grace.....]]  
  
Lily collapsed into Rick's arms, tears trailing down her face.  
  
* * * 


	32. Drawing Conclusions, Finding Answers

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Chapter 32// Drawing Conclusions, Finding Answers  
  
"Grace?" Tiffany asked, turning on the lights in the living room to find Grace sitting alone on the couch.  
  
Grace looked over at her and Tiffany saw the pain in her eyes. "Are you hungry?" Tiffany asked, "I think there is still some of the soup I made."  
  
Grace shook her head. Tiffany wondered whether she should leave or press the issue. Grace was going to be her step-daughter soon. Tiffany liked both of Jake's daughter's immensely, but there had always been a distance between her and Grace. "Do you want to talk?" Tiffany asked, hopefully.  
  
Grace shook her head, "No."  
  
Tiffany stood unsure of what to do, and Grace looked back at her again. "Have you... has anyone ever cheated on you?"  
  
Tiffany smiled softly, moving forward. "Well, yeah... too many times."  
  
Tiffany sat down on the couch next to Grace. Grace looked up at her questioningly, "Did you ever forgive the person?"  
  
Tiffany nodded, "Yes, but I tend to be just a very forgiving person."  
  
Grace smiled sadly, "And I tend to be a very UN-forgiving person..."  
  
[[Grace - I hold grudges... I don't forgive people easily.... and what Eli did to me is completely unforgivable... so it's over, I guess. It's done. *sad, sad look* God! Why did this have to happen! We were so happy.]]  
  
Tiffany studied Grace's sad face. "Did Eli cheat on you?"  
  
Grace sighed, "Don't tell my dad... he'd kill Eli or something, but yeah, I think he did."  
  
"You think?" Tiffany pressed.  
  
Grace nodded, "I saw him kissing my friend."  
  
"Oh," Tiffany said, grimacing, "That's not good."  
  
"And now I'm expected to live under the same roof as him," Grace added.  
  
"Oh, that's really not good," Tiffany said, and was rewarded with a tiny smile from Grace.  
  
"It sucks," Grace said simply, the smile fading as quickly as it began. Her eyes filled with tears, "And I really loved him... I still love him. So, it hurts so much."  
  
"Oh, Grace," Tiffany said, and put an arm around the crying girl. She wished she had the words to make it better but she didn't...  
  
* * *  
  
"SHIT!" Eli cursed, stomping up the stairs to his attic room. He had just tried to call Jake's house, but was told coldly by Jake that Grace didn't want to speak to him. Eli fell down on his bed, and lay there, thinking.  
  
How could this have happened in the course of one day? What could have happened that made Grace not want to speak to him, or be near him?  
  
Eli put his hands over his face, and thought...  
  
Suddenly Eli sat up with a jolt, his face unreadable. He grabbed his jacket, and hurried out of his room. He had someone he needed to see.  
  
* * *  
  
"Lily, it will be okay," Rick said gently as he and Lily sat in bed that night. Lily sat up, tensely rubbing her hands together.  
  
"Will it?" Lily questioned.  
  
"Yes," Rick said. "Even if they have broken up... we are still a family, and we'll make it work."  
  
"We will?" Lily asked, no expression on her face.  
  
"We will," Rick promised her.  
  
"Oh, Rick," Lily said, her voice becoming over-flowing with emotions, "Maybe this was a bad idea."  
  
"What... moving in together?" Rick asked, concerned.  
  
Lily nodded, "We didn't think it through..."  
  
"No, Lily," Rick sighed. "We'll make it work."  
  
Lily turned to him, and nodded, but Rick could see the doubt in her eyes as she turned off the bedside lamp. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight," Rick said back, moving to put his arm around her. Lily's whole body was rigid with tension and Rick uncomfortably tried to sleep alongside her.  
  
* * *  
  
Eli circled the house. He was pretty sure Carla's stepmother or her father wouldn't appreciate a visit this late at night, so Eli went around the house, hoping to see the light on in Carla's room. Luck was with him, and Eli knocked on the lit window.  
  
Carla's face appeared. She slid the window up so she could talk to him. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I have to talk to you," Eli said.  
  
"Now?" Carla's face twisted up in confusion, but in a few seconds she had the screen off the window (she looked like she did this a lot) and was climbing out next to him.  
  
"We can talk in the car," Eli said and they went to his father's car, which he had taken without asking.  
  
Carla sat stiffly in the passenger's seat and waited for Eli to speak.  
  
"So..." Eli began, losing the driving force that had made him sneak out here in the middle of the night.  
  
"They're doing it," Carla said with a scowl. "The bastards are sending me to rehab."  
  
Eli looked at her uncomfortably. He didn't voice his opinion that maybe rehab would be the best thing for her.  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry about the kiss," Carla added, looking at him with a sly smile.  
  
"Really?" Eli asked, his tone coming out stone cold.  
  
"Yeah!" Carla said, raising her eyebrows. "Why?"  
  
"Carla..." Eli began, the anger rising up in him, "I know you don't like that Grace and I have a 'perfect' relationship, but that's no excuse for what you did. I thought you were our friend!"  
  
"I am your friend!" Carla said defensively. "I said I was sorry about the kiss!"  
  
"It's not about that..." Eli shook his head. He glared at Carla. "Why are you trying to ruin things between Grace and me?"  
  
"I don't what you're talking about!" Carla insisted. She reached for the door handle, but Eli grabbed her elbow, stopping her.  
  
"Grace won't talk to me... she won't see me," Eli said, the anger deflating out of him. "Something happened and now she's avoiding me."  
  
Carla looked at him and said sincerely, "I didn't do anything. I wouldn't want to hurt Grace. She has been a good friend to me."  
  
"Then, why....?" Eli pondered aloud.  
  
"She's avoiding me too," Carla chimed in. "I saw her in the hall today, and she practically ran away from me. I thought maybe you had told her about me throwing myself at you."  
  
Eli shook his head, "No." He sighed and turned to Carla, "I'm sorry about rehab."  
  
Carla smiled, "Eh... I'll survive."  
  
Eli smiled back, "I should get home..." Eli stumbled on the word 'home', as it was still so new to him to think of Lily's house as his home. "I kind of took the car without telling anyone."  
  
"I should get back in there. My dad checks on me every couple of hours or so... to make sure I haven't run away," Carla said. She got out of the car, pausing before shutting the door. "Eli, you and Grace meant a lot to me. I hope you work it out..."  
  
"Thanks," Eli said, and Carla shut the door, escaping around the side of her house to go back in her window. Eli started up the car. He was back to where he was earlier... without a clue of what was bothering Grace.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily awoke, and turned over to see that Rick was already out of bed. His spot next to her was empty. Lily sat up, frowning as she thought back to yesterday. Her worries about Grace and Eli, and if she and Rick had done the right thing moving in together still hung over her head like a storm cloud. This was not a good way to start a Saturday.  
  
Lily sat up, and heard the shower running, and the faint sound of Rick's voice singing. She had to smile at that. Lily yawned; rubbing her eyes, as she slowly became more awake. She heard the faintest sound of bells... Lily shook her head, wondering if she was hearing things. But the sound remained.  
  
Lily looked around, as it was clear to her now that the sound came from inside this room. She suddenly felt a chill and looked over, seeing the drapes fluttering... the window was open. Lily got up, and crossed the room. The sound of bells was louder and suddenly Lily saw why...  
  
Hanging from the curtain pole, swaying in the light wind from the opened window was a string with an assortment of bells tied along it. Lily smiled at the sight of this strange anomaly. She touched the string, her fingers running down it, passing over the bells. Then, at the end her fingers touched something that wasn't a bell.  
  
Lily lifted it up, looking at the diamond ring. She turned to the entrance to the bathroom, where Rick now stood, dripping from the shower.  
  
"Is this how you proposed to Karen?" Lily joked.  
  
Rick laughed, "No talk of exes when I'm trying to ask you to marry me, please..."  
  
Lily nodded with a wide smile, and waited for the words.  
  
"Will you marry me?" Rick asked.  
  
"Yes," Lily said.  
  
[[Lily - Sometimes I have to realize that not everything you want is going to have all good consequences... I want Rick-- I want to marry him... I want him and his kids to share this house with me and my kids... and so, we WILL work it out. Grace and Eli will have to work it out, because whether they're dating or not, they're still going to have to be a part of each other's lives.... I'm not going to make the mistake of regretting this *Lily holds up hand with ring on it*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, hi Tiffany," Lily said as Tiffany opened the door later that Saturday morning.  
  
"Hi!" Tiffany said cheerfully. "Are you here for Grace?"  
  
"Yeah," Lily said, stepping inside. She looked around, "Is Jake here?"  
  
Tiffany shook her head, popping a couple of grapes in her mouth, "He's at the restaurant."  
  
Lily nodded, and Tiffany smiled at her.  
  
"So, uh, Grace...?" Lily reminded her.  
  
"Oh," Tiffany smiled. "Grace! Your mom's here!" She called.  
  
Grace reluctantly appeared in the doorway of her bedroom. "Do I have to go? Tiffany was going to show me how to make her famous strawberry delight cake."  
  
Lily glanced over at Tiffany. "Grace, you really need to be there today. I know something happened between you and Eli, but you're a part of this family."  
  
Grace rolled her eyes. She looked over at Tiffany, "Tiff, another time I guess."  
  
Tiffany nodded, "Of course."  
  
"Bye Tiffany," Lily said, and she and Grace made their way outside.  
  
Grace was silent the whole ride home. She wasn't ready to face Eli. Right now she wished she'd never have to see him again.  
  
* * *  
  
Eli was eating a tasteless breakfast of soggy cereal when the door opened and Lily stepped inside. Grace was right behind her.  
  
"Grace!" Eli shouted, but Grace avoided looking at him. "Grace, what is going on?" Still, Grace wouldn't look at him. Eli was about to try again, but caught the look in his father's eyes.  
  
Jessie and Zoe came into the kitchen, and they both looked curiously at Grace and then at Eli.  
  
"Good, you're all here," Lily said. "We have more news."  
  
"Grace is moving in with Dad?" Zoe asked, not seeming the least bit upset, since she was currently very pleased with her newest 'sister'.  
  
"No!" Grace said angrily. "I wish." Eli stared at her, upset. She still refused to acknowledge his existence.  
  
Lily ignored Grace's outburst. She looked at Rick, and he back at her. Finally Lily just held up her hand, showing the kids the diamond ring on her hand.  
  
"TWO weddings!" Zoe cried, absolutely delighted.  
  
"We haven't set a date yet, Zoe," Lily warned. But Zoe wasn't going to let anything burst her bubble. She jumped up, spinning around in the air, her long brown hair flying around her.  
  
Jessie smiled, and quietly congratulated them.  
  
Eli continued to look at Grace in confusion. And Grace continued to avoid looking at Eli at all costs.  
  
"That's great, mom," Grace said, although she had already noticed the ring on her mother's hand when they were driving back here... she wasn't completely dense. "I'm going to my room." Grace escaped up to her room.  
  
Eli stood up, and ignored the look in his father's eyes. He hurried after Grace anyways.  
  
"Grace!" He cried, knocking on her door. "Just talk to me!"  
  
"Grace!" He tried again and again, but she wouldn't answer. Eli reluctantly went downstairs.  
  
He found Lily and Rick cuddling on the living room couch.  
  
"Did she tell you what's bothering her?" Eli asked of Lily.  
  
Lily shook her head, "No... You really don't know?"  
  
"No!" Eli cried, absolutely completely frustrated. Rick and Lily took in this with surprise. They were just beginning to see how much Eli really cared for Grace.  
  
"Well, when was the last time she was okay with you?" Lily said, touched by Eli's obvious care for Grace.  
  
"I don't know... the last time I saw her before-- her avoidance of me- - was Thursday, at school."  
  
"Thursday, at school?" Lily repeated. A look of confusion crossed her face, "What about Thursday night?"  
  
"I didn't see her Thursday night," Eli said.  
  
Lily's brow wrinkled up, "But I dropped her off at the apartment. She said she wanted to help you pack up some things."  
  
Eli took this in, realizing what it meant. Grace had come to the apartment... Thursday night, when he had been dealing with Carla... with Carla. Eli's mouth dropped open, "I think there's been a big misunderstanding."  
  
Eli flew back up the stairs, and Lily and Rick just looked at each other and returned to their cuddling.  
  
* * * 


	33. Hear Me Out

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, thanks for your reviews! After reading them, they put me in a real good mood to know you guys really like what I've been writing!!! Thanks for reading, as always. Lots of love, Tainted Love.  
  
P.s. Sorry, but I've officially put off writing more for "Where do we go from here?" until this one ends, because otherwise I'll get confused on keeping my stories straight....... eh, maybe it's not 'officially' put off, but right now I'm concentrating on this one.  
  
Chapter 32//Hear Me Out  
  
"Grace, open up!" Eli cried, knocking on her door. "Grace, you have to talk to me!"  
  
Jessie paused on her way up the stairs, and watched as her brother pounded the door again, calling frantically for Grace to open up.  
  
"Come on, Grace. I know what you think you saw, but it wasn't like that! I swear! I can explain it, if you just open up!" Eli cried.  
  
Jessie continued walking up the stairs and went over to her brother with concern. "Eli?"  
  
Eli looked at her, and Jessie was startled to see tears in his eyes. Jessie didn't know if she had ever seen her brother cry before. She hadn't thought he had it in him.  
  
"Jess! Grace won't open her door," Eli cried in despair.  
  
"Yeah... I got that," Jessie said, she looked over her shoulder and down into the living room, where Lily and Rick were cozied up on the couch, like Eli screaming at Grace's door was something that happened every day... Jessie's eyes widened as she realized it COULD be something that happened every day, if Grace didn't just talk to Eli.  
  
"Eli, just... why don't you go," Jessie suggested. "Let me talk to her."  
  
Eli shook his head, "No, there's something I need to explain to her." He knocked on the door again. "Grace!"  
  
Jessie watched him, her heart aching at seeing her brother in pain. Finally Eli gave up, and sank to the floor, leaning his back against Grace's door.  
  
"You're just going to sit there, all night, until she comes out?" Jessie asked.  
  
Eli nodded, his head falling into his hands.  
  
Zoe was coming up the stairs, she looked over at Eli curiously. "I heard shouting."  
  
Eli didn't respond. Jessie filled in for him, "Eli needs to talk to Grace."  
  
"Why?" Zoe asked.  
  
"Because," Eli answered, lifted his head. "I love her."  
  
"OH!" Zoe said, with a wide grin. She looked down on the living room, at their parents, and turned back to Eli and Jessie. "Do they know?"  
  
Eli sighed, not really up for answering Zoe's questions. He didn't think his dad and Lily knew he loved Grace, but he also knew that they must at least suspect that. But what did it really matter, if Grace wouldn't even talk to him!?  
  
[[Eli - I screwed up... I mean, yeah, I technically didn't have anything to do with Carla kissing me... and Grace seeing it, but maybe if I hadn't taken Carla back to my house, or if I had cut off my friendship with her..... I mean, I knew Carla was trouble, and yet... I didn't stop it, so I guess it is partly my fault. *sigh* I just hope Grace can see that I truly love her.]]  
  
Zoe frowned, not liking her questions going unanswered. Jessie leaned down and whispered something to her brother, and Zoe wanted their attention back on HER. "I know how you can get to her," Zoe announced.  
  
Zoe got the result she wanted as they both looked at her. Eli stood up, "What is it?"  
  
Zoe proudly led them into her and Jessie's room, and pointed at the bathroom that separated their room and Grace's room. "The lock to Grace's room doesn't work," She told Eli.  
  
Eli looked at the door to Grace's room inside the bathroom, and took a deep breath. This was it, this was his chance. Eli smiled, picking up Zoe and giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "Thanks!"  
  
Zoe grinned madly as he put her down, looking like she had just won a million dollars. Jessie grabbed hold of Zoe's shoulder and pushed her back into the hallway. "We should give them space," Jessie told her, and for once Zoe didn't question it.  
  
* * *  
  
Grace had put on her headphones soon after she had entered her room. She couldn't stand to hear Eli's pleas. Didn't he see what he did was horrible? Didn't he realize that she couldn't just forgive him like that?  
  
Grace lay on her bed on her belly, her head smashed against the pillow. Occasionally she lifted her headphones to listen to see if it was safe yet. But, no another cry from Eli filled her ears, and Grace replaced her headphones quickly. She felt like a prisoner in her own room. She couldn't even go get something to eat without seeing him!  
  
Grace waited a bit, then lifted her headphones again. Silence this time. Maybe her mother had finally gotten Eli to leave her alone, but Grace doubted that. For all she knew Eli was sitting outside her door, waiting to jump on her once she opened the door.  
  
Grace rolled over, and gasped as she saw a figure in the doorway to the bathroom she and Zoe shared. Grace blinked and saw it was Eli. "GET OUT!" Grace cried.  
  
Eli shook his head, looking at her sadly. "Grace, just hear me out."  
  
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" Grace yelled. She looked to her bedroom door, wondering if she should just flee... but where would she go? This was HER house.... and now it was HIS too. No matter how much she hated it, she would have to get used to him being here. Grace sighed, looking back at him, then looking away as she saw the pain in his eyes.  
  
[[Grace - How DARE he feel bad? How dare he feel sad? It's ME who was hurt. It was me who was betrayed.]]  
  
"Eli, I know we have to live together, so let's just make a truce," Grace said reasonably, "You don't speak to me, and I won't speak to you."  
  
"I can't do that Grace," Eli said, moving further into the room. "Just, please listen to what I have to say!"  
  
Grace shook her head. She continued on with her earlier thought, "It'll probably be easy for us to ignore each other. I mean, if we plan it right, I can be at my dad's when you're here, and you at your mom's when I'm here..."  
  
"Grace, no," Eli said forcefully. "I can't make that deal."  
  
"Why not!?" Grace cried, "It would make things SO much easier on ME, Eli."  
  
"Grace, I can't ignore you!" Eli cried.  
  
"Why not?!" Grace screamed. "Why--"  
  
"Because I love you," Eli cut her off.  
  
Grace's eyes closed and she took in this new information. When she opened her eyes again, tears fell down her cheeks. "Eli, don't..."  
  
"What?! Don't love you!? Grace, I can't help it... I do love you... it's not something I can change," Eli said, tears coming to his own eyes as he looked on his love in pain. "Grace, don't cry."  
  
Grace quickly wiped away her tears, "Yeah, you're right! I shouldn't cry for a BASTARD like you!"  
  
Eli felt that hit him right in the heart. "Grace, you don't understand..."  
  
Grace was silent, shaking her head with disbelief at his persistence. "Then explain it to me," She challenged.  
  
* * *  
  
Jessie and Zoe sat huddled together on the top of the stairs, listening to the shouts coming from Grace's room. Zoe was being unusually quiet and Jessie was glad for that as she was straining to hear every word.  
  
"What did Eli do to Grace?" Zoe asked.  
  
Jessie shushed her, quickly. She didn't know what Eli had done, but from the shouts coming from Grace's room, it looked like they were about to find out.  
  
* * *  
  
Rick and Lily had turned off the TV, not even pretending to be watching it, as they heard Grace's shouts joining Eli's. So, Eli had found a way to get Grace to talk to him... but to them, the shouts were muffled, and they didn't know how things were progressing. Lily almost had gotten up twice to go join Jess and Zoe on the stairs, where she would be able to hear better, but she wouldn't allow herself to do that...  
  
"Do you think it's better that they're talking-- or worse?" Rick questioned.  
  
Lily sighed, leaning back against him. She had been on the verge of getting up from the couch, so she could go up the stairs-- not to listen, but to get her book from her room (yeah, right... not likely). Rick's words stopped her. "I don't know," Lily answered him.  
  
"Eli said it was a misunderstanding," Rick reminded her.  
  
Lily nodded, "Let's hope so. Because if this keeps up, we're going to have to think of sectioning off the house into Grace-friendly and Eli- friendly zones, and make sure they don't intermix."  
  
Eli smiled, but his smile faded as the shouts continued upstairs. He stood up. "You know, I never did ask Jessie if she needed to get anything from her mother's," Rick said as he looked at Jessie and Zoe at their better listening place on the stairs.  
  
Lily stood up with him, grateful for the excuse. They hurried over to the stairs.  
  
* * *  
  
"Grace, I know you think you saw me and Carla kissing," Eli began.  
  
"So you WEREN'T kissing??" Grace asked sarcastically, "Oh, let me guess-- she was choking and you were giving her CPR, standing up!"  
  
"Grace, I didn't mean that we weren't kissing, because we were, I guess. But it isn't what you think."  
  
Grace's eyes squeezed shut at Eli's admittance that she had witnessed a kiss. She waited for him to go on, half of her wishing he would stop right there, so she didn't have to feel anymore pain-- the other half, hopeful, thinking it was possible that there was a reason for the kiss. Grace tried, unsuccessfully to squash this hopeful side.  
  
"I met Carla at the mall. I was shopping. I was going to buy you a welcoming gift... for when we moved in, but then I ran into her, and she was drunk," Eli said.  
  
Grace opened her eyes, not liking what she was hearing so far... but still..... hopeful.  
  
"She was scared, because she thought her parents were going to send her to rehab, and I couldn't leave her there like that... Grace she was-- out of it. So I drove her to my place."  
  
"Where your lips just happened to fall on hers," Grace couldn't help but quip.  
  
"Where she got freaked out... and started talking about YOU and ME, Grace. She was talking about how she wished she had a relationship like ours. And then, she kissed me. SHE kissed me. That's what you saw. I pushed her away, and drove her home... end of story." Eli let out a deep breath as he had gotten out the full story. He looked at Grace, awaiting her reaction.  
  
* * *  
  
On the stairs, where Jessie, Zoe, Rick and Lily were all listening unabashedly now, they turned and looked at each other.  
  
"That sounds plausible," Rick commented.  
  
Jessie nodded, "I saw Carla at school... believe me she's not someone you could trust. She would do something like that to her friend. She would."  
  
Lily was silent, unsure.  
  
"Who's Carla?" Zoe asked.  
  
"You know," Lily reminded her daughter. "Grace's new friend."  
  
"The one with the tattoo!" Zoe cried. "She was cool! She wouldn't have done that!"  
  
Jessie rolled her eyes. A habit she was unknowingly picking up from Grace. "Just because someone has a tattoo doesn't mean they wouldn't do something like that!"  
  
They fell silent again, listening to the conversation inside.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
They all jumped a bit, startled by Judy's voice. Lily looked down at her sister with a weak smile.  
  
Judy smiled up at them, with confused amusement, "What's this -- a family meeting or something?"  
  
"Sshhh!" Zoe cried, pointing at Grace's door.  
  
Judy, sensing something juicy was happening, quickly ascended the stairs to listen too.  
  
* * *  
  
"That's your story?" Grace asked when Eli had finished telling her what had happened.  
  
"That's the truth," Eli corrected her. "She kissed me, and I pushed her away."  
  
Grace sighed, looking at him. "All I saw was you and her kissing. I didn't stick around to see the ending."  
  
Eli slowly felt the tension leaving his body. "So, you believe me?"  
  
Grace nodded, looking up. Tears were in her eyes again. "I don't think I have much of a choice..."  
  
"What do you mean?" Eli asked.  
  
"...Because I love you too, so I guess it's just part of the deal that I'm just going to believe everything you say," Grace said sadly.  
  
Eli's heart jumped at her words. "Well, that's good, because I'm only going to tell you the truth... Grace, I promise you that."  
  
Grace nodded. "I think I believe you."  
  
Eli surged forward taking Grace's hands in his. He looked intently into her tear-stained face. "Grace, I don't want you to THINK you believe me... I need you to believe me. I would never hurt you like that."  
  
Grace took a deep breath.  
  
* * *  
  
On the stairs, five eager people listened closely to Grace's next words.  
  
* * *  
  
"I do believe you, Eli," Grace said finally. She looked up at Eli, with a smile.  
  
Eli grinned back, taking her in his arms. "Oh, Grace!"  
  
Grace trembled in his grip... the past day's events taking it's affect on her. She had gone through SO many emotions since seeing Carla and Eli in a kiss. Now, she was just happy to have the unpleasant feelings behind her, because she truly did believe Eli. She trusted him.  
  
Eli bent down, kissing her. She kissed him back, sinking in his arms.  
  
* * *  
  
On the stairs, the five of them smiled happily.  
  
"I knew they would work it out," Zoe insisted.  
  
Jessie rolled her eyes... she had seen how Zoe had been crossing her fingers throughout the whole scene.  
  
"It is a good thing they worked it out, right?" Zoe asked, looking at Lily.  
  
Lily nodded, "Yes."  
  
[[Lily - When did I become so accepting of Grace's and Eli's relationship...? *amused smile* My heart was beating madly throughout the whole thing, and I just kept hoping they'd fix things between... is that crazy? I shouldn't feel this deeply about my daughter's and my soon-to-be- step-son's relationship.... but I do. That's it, I'm crazy!]]  
  
* * *  
  
They broke from their kiss. They began to head for the door, but Grace stopped. She looked at Eli with a glimmer in her eyes. "Do you think they're out there listening?" Grace asked in a low whisper.  
  
Eli nodded, "Most definitely."  
  
Grace smiled slyly. "Want to screw with them?" She whispered.  
  
Eli smiled back, his eyebrows raised slightly.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, they're still talking," Rick said quickly, and the four women looked at him in surprise. "What? Men can't be interested in ease- dropping?" Rick said with a smile.  
  
Lily hit him in the side, but they all found themselves growing silent again.  
  
"Eli, they're something I need to tell you," Grace said. "I should have told you sooner, but because of..."  
  
They all leaned forward unconsciously, straining to hear it all.  
  
"What is it, Grace?" Eli asked.  
  
"Eli... I'm..." Grace began, her voice was heavy with emotion. (She was really putting her acting abilities to the test.) "Eli... I'm really a.... MAN!"  
  
The door to Grace's room swung opened and Eli and Grace laughed as they watched the five of them try to look unsupicious... like they hung out on the stairs every day like that.  
  
"We were just..." Lily began.  
  
"...looking for..." Rick added.  
  
"... uh, my earring!" Judy provided.  
  
"Uh huh," Grace said, grinning. She looked at Zoe and Jessie, "And what were you doing?"  
  
"We were listening," Jessie said with a broad smile. Zoe nodded.  
  
Eli turned to Grace with a smile, "So this is our family?"  
  
"Looks like..." Grace said.  
  
"Should we keep them?" Eli asked, putting an arm around Grace.  
  
"I don't think we have a choice," Grace said with a smile.  
  
* * * 


	34. A Wedding or Two

~A Once and Again Series~  
  
The Way We Were  
  
Hey, thanks for reading & reviewing as always! Okay, I hate to say this, but I'm going to be taking a break from this series (eek, I know!) and then I will pick it up later.... and write a "season two" for it. Then, I can upload "where do we go from here?" on here and work on that in the meantime--- and so this is the last chapter in "season one" for this series. Sorry! But I'll pick it back up for "season two" after a short while............... Thanks SO much for all the support! I loved all the reviews & comments! And I'll be back! ~Tainted Love  
  
p.s. In this chapter, you can really see how I differed from the show... as Lily & Rick didn't tie the knot on the show till the end of season two, and Jake & Tiffany not till the end of season three, of course........ But eh, I guess I just like things to happen quicker! Oh, and I haven't killed off any characters yet, so Lily's dad is still alive.  
  
Chapter 34//A Wedding... or Two  
  
"Grace, you look beautiful."  
  
Grace looked up and smiled at her father. "Thanks." She moved closer, and straightened her father's tie. "Are you ready for this?" She asked.  
  
Jake nodded, although he was finding it hard to breathe. "As ready as I'll ever be..."  
  
"You're not supposed to be in here--" Grace began to warn.  
  
"Jake!" Tiffany cried, as she entered the bathroom. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony!"  
  
Jake quickly covered his eyes, "I didn't see anything." He began to back out of the room, bumping into the wall. He stopped, with his hands still over his face. "You looked beautiful, Tiff."  
  
"Jake!" Tiffany cried, but smiled good-naturedly. Jake left the restaurant's small woman's bathroom and Tiffany turned to Grace. "How do I look, really?" She asked.  
  
"Beautiful," Grace said automatically, looking at the glowing blond in an off-white dress. Grace looked quickly away, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. But Tiffany saw them in her reflection in the mirror anyway.  
  
Tiffany took them the wrong way, "Grace, I know it'll be hard for you to get a new step-mother. Especially one as young and... stupid... as me. But, I want to be a part of your life... to be your stepmother. And I want to be your father's wife..... is that okay?"  
  
"Of course it's okay!" Grace said. She wiped away the tears on her face. "Tiffany, I'm glad you're marrying my father. I can see that you'll make him happy. He needs that. It's just..." Grace gestured at her watery eyes, "It's just so.... beautiful."  
  
"Oh!" Tiffany said, delighted. She hugged Grace. "I'm so glad Jake has a daughter like you. You're an amazing girl..."  
  
The bathroom door opened, and it was Zoe telling them that it was time. Zoe picked up her flower basket from the bathroom counter and the three of them made their way out to the main room of the restaurant, which had been converted beautifully into a make-shift wedding chapel.  
  
Zoe went first, going past the rows and rows of guests, dropping her yellow and pink rose petals.  
  
Grace and Tiffany went next. Grace, being Tiffany's escort, as Tiffany's father was out of the picture, and Tiffany's mother didn't want to come. Grace smiled, catching Eli's eye in the crowd as she and Tiffany made their way up to the altar.  
  
Then the long walk ended as quickly as it began and Grace scooted to the side, standing next to Zoe, and they watched as the ceremony began.  
  
[[Jake and Tiffany together - *smile at each other, kiss*]]  
  
* * *  
  
"It's so beautiful," Jessie said, teary eyed.  
  
Eli poked his sister in the side, "You're too emotional."  
  
Jessie rubbed her eyes carefully, not wanting to mess up her makeup. "Well, it is beautiful," Jessie argued, looking around the billowy tent. There were flowers, candles and just an overall lovely atmosphere.  
  
"E," Rick said, nodding his head.  
  
"Right," Eli said quickly, grabbing his guitar. Jessie went over to stand with Grace and Zoe, and the three of them shared excited glances.  
  
Eli began to strum the wedding march, and the billows of the tent that Judy's boyfriend, Will Gluck, had set up in the backyard, opened to reveal Lily. Lily smiled at all eight of them: Eli, Jessie, Grace, Zoe, Rick, Judy, Lily's mom, and the last-minute minister - Will Gluck.  
  
Lily held tighter to her father's arm, and Phil guided her down the aisle as Eli played.  
  
[[Lily and Rick together - *smile at each other, kiss* ]]  
  
Rick took a deep breath and smiled wider as his bride came closer. Jessie was smiling so wide she thought her mouth was going to break, Zoe had a wide smile too, and even Grace was smiling, as they watched Lily join Rick. Eli stopped playing and stood up next to his father. He and Grace's eyes met and they looked at each other fondly.  
  
[[Grace and Eli together - *smile at each other, kiss*]]  
  
Jessie and Zoe looked at each other. 'We're going to be sisters!' Zoe mouthed and Jessie nodded, turning her attention back to Lily and Rick.  
  
[[Jessie and Zoe together - *smile at each other*]]  
  
Phil stopped, leaned in to kiss Lily's cheek and then joined his wife in the front row.  
  
[[Phil and Barbara together - *smile at each other, kiss*]]  
  
Judy let out a deep breath of contentment as the proceedings began. She watched her boyfriend, Will perform the ceremony with love in her eyes. They were lucky Will was an ordained minister, otherwise Lily and Rick might have just given up hope of getting married until next fall. But here, they were, on the first day of summer, and they were starting a new life together. Judy smiled, tears in her eyes, as she watched them.  
  
[[Judy and Will together - *smile at each other, kiss*]]  
  
Will held a piece of paper Rick had given him earlier, carefully reading the spelled-out pronunciations, and Rick repeated his words.  
  
"See MAY nee."  
  
"Chah cho TAHM"  
  
"Al lee Bahch"  
  
"Kah cho TAHM"  
  
"Al z'row-aych"  
  
Lily's eyes teared up at the sound of Hebrew words coming out of Rick's mouth. She looked over at her father quickly, and smiled at him. Phil smiled back, and looked at Rick, proudly.  
  
"Do you Lily, take Rick as your lawfully wedded husband?" Will asked.  
  
"I do," Lily said.  
  
"Do you Rick, take Lily as your lawfully wedded wife?" Will asked.  
  
Rick nodded, looking at Lily. "I do."  
  
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," Will said.  
  
Lily and Rick moved in for a kiss and everyone watched happily. Grace tore her eyes away from the newly weds and her and Eli's eyes caught. They smiled at each other fondly.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Lily asked nervously.  
  
Grace rolled her eyes, glancing at Eli. "Mom, Eli's 17... I'm 15..." Grace folded her arms across her chest, "I think we can handle watching Jess and Zoe for a week."  
  
Lily nodded, but her nervous look didn't leave her. "But your father and Tiffany are still on THEIR honeymoon, and maybe we..." Lily looked up at Rick. "Maybe we should see if we can put it off just one week."  
  
"Lily," Rick said gently, "My dear... my wife." He leaned in and kissed her. Grace and Eli looked away. "Judy will be here to check in on them and Karen too," He reminded her.  
  
Lily nodded, "I guess."  
  
Grace looked back at her mother, "Then go! Have fun!"  
  
Lily smiled, "Okay.... oh, I have to go pack!" She hurried out of the room, full of excitement at the prospect of spending a week in Cancun with just Rick. Rick followed Lily out of the kitchen, as he too hadn't packed yet.  
  
Grace and Eli turned to each other, sharing a happy kiss. "A week without parents.... huh?" Grace mused.  
  
"Sounds like heaven," Eli added.  
  
"Zoe! I never said you could borrow that!" Jessie cried as she came into the room. Zoe followed her, wearing a slightly too big shirt.  
  
"You never wear it!" Zoe argued. "I didn't think you'd mind!"  
  
Jessie turned back to Zoe, "How do YOU know what I wear and what I don't?"  
  
"I know!" Zoe insisted. "So, why can't I wear the shirt?!"  
  
"Because I don't want you to!" Jessie screamed, and dashed back out of the kitchen, hoping to lose Zoe... but Zoe followed persistently after her.  
  
Grace and Eli looked at each, their happy smiles faded.  
  
"So... one whole week, huh?" Eli murmured.  
  
Grace nodded. "Yeah.... do you think we can convince them to take Zoe and Jessie with them?"  
  
"Not a chance," Eli said, pulling Grace close. "But maybe they'll let me and you use their tickets instead..."  
  
Grace laughed, "Not a chance. We'll just have to suffer through them together."  
  
Eli joined in her laughter, and they brought their lips together in a soft kiss.  
  
****** The End of Season One********  
  
******Season Two Coming Soon!******* 


End file.
